Team GB freestyle skier Zoe Atkin stands on the brink of a remarkable Olympic gold medal after organisers pushed the women’s halfpipe final back to Sunday morning following persistent heavy snowfall in Livigno.
The competition, originally scheduled for Saturday evening in the western Italian Alps, was called off at 4.20pm UK time when officials determined conditions made the course unsafe for athletes.
Should the rescheduled final fail to take place, medals would be distributed according to qualification results, placing Atkin at the top of the podium.
An official statement confirmed: “Unfortunately due to persistent heavy snow and the inability to prepare the pipe in a safe and fair condition, the jury has made the decision to postpone the women’ halfpipe finals to Sunday.”
Atkin, based in the United States, delivered the strongest performance among the 21 competitors during Thursday’s qualification round.
She recorded an impressive 91.50 points on her opening run.
The reigning world champion in the discipline is appearing at her second Winter Olympics.
If organisers were forced to award medals based on qualifying positions, China’s Li Fanghui would have received silver after posting 90.00 points in second place.
Team GB freestyle skier Zoe Atkin stands on the brink of a remarkable Olympic gold medal
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Canadian Cassie Sharpe, who finished third with 88.25 points, would claim bronze despite being stretchered from the venue and hospitalised, having already withdrawn from the final due to her injuries.
The Milan-Cortina Games conclude on Sunday.
Organisers would be left with virtually no room to manoeuvre should weather conditions remain problematic.
Moving the event to Monday or Tuesday is not an option within the Olympic schedule.
Organisers pushed the women’s halfpipe final back to Sunday morning
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Crucially, the final must be completed in time for competitors to make their way to Verona for the Closing Ceremony later that evening.
Adverse weather has disrupted proceedings throughout the week at the Livigno venue.
Temperatures have plunged to minus 12 degrees Celsius.
Earlier in the Games, the women’s snowboard slopestyle final was delayed on Tuesday over safety concerns, while men’s freeski halfpipe qualifying was shifted from Thursday to Friday.
Victory for Zoe Atkin would represent a historic achievement as no British athlete has ever claimed Olympic gold while wearing skis
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Atkin arrived in Italy with ambitions of outdoing her older sister Izzy, who secured bronze in the women’s freeski slopestyle at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Victory for the 23-year-old would represent a historic achievement, as no British athlete has ever claimed Olympic gold while wearing skis.
A qualification-based result would also deny China’s Eileen Gu the chance to defend her halfpipe title from the Beijing Olympics, as the reigning champion would miss out on a medal entirely.
The weather-enforced postponement has created an extraordinary scenario where Atkin could make British sporting history without completing a single run in the final.
