Great Britain miss out on first medal by slimmest of margins in heartbreaking fashion
British freestyle skier Kirsty Muir endured Olympic heartbreak this afternoon, falling agonisingly short of securing Great Britain’s first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The Scottish athlete finished fourth in the women’s slopestyle final at Livigno Snow Park, separated from a bronze medal by a mere 0.41 points.
Canada’s Megan Oldham claimed third place with a score of 76.46, whilst Muir’s best effort yielded 76.05.
The Aberdeen-born skier was visibly emotional following the result, breaking down in tears despite delivering her strongest performance when it counted most in the competition.
Kirsty Muir missed out on a bronze medal by 0.45 points
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Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud retained her Olympic crown, posting 86.96 points to edge out the competition by the slimmest of margins.
Chinese sensation Eileen Gu, widely regarded as one of freestyle skiing’s biggest names both on and off the slopes, secured silver with 86.58 points.
The defending champion’s victory was confirmed when Gu crashed during her final attempt, allowing Gremaud to celebrate with a triumphant lap of the course.
The Swiss skier draped her national flag around her shoulders like a cape as she savoured the moment, the banner streaming behind her in the mountain breeze.
Muir’s path to the final standings proved far from straightforward, with the skier touching down on the penultimate jump during her opening run.
Following a cautious second attempt that earned 63.01 points, she found herself languishing in sixth position with everything riding on her last chance.
Kirsty Muir was inches away from finishing third in the freestyle skiing
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The 21-year-old rose to the occasion, producing her finest skiing when the pressure was at its peak.
Speaking to BBC Sport afterwards, Muir said: “I put it out there on every run and the second jump, I wanted to get that, but it just wasn’t working for me today.
“I was so proud to put one down. I’m struggling to accept how close it was but I know I have more in me.”
Kirsty Muir admitted she is ‘struggling to accept’ how close she came to a medal
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The near-miss comes just a fortnight after Muir claimed slopestyle gold at the prestigious Aspen X Games, where she recorded an impressive 93.66 points – a score that would have comfortably topped today’s Olympic podium.
Her journey to these Games has been remarkable, having undergone surgery in early 2024 to repair a fully torn ACL discovered during an MRI scan, along with an operation to address a persistent shoulder problem.
Kirsty Muir had battled serious injury problems to reach the Winter Olympics
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Muir returned to competition eleven months later and secured her first World Cup gold in Tignes last March.
The Scot will have another opportunity to reach the Olympic podium when the Big Air event begins on Saturday.
