By Betsefy
Great Britain‘s Charlotte Bankes has missed out on a medal in the snowboard cross at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics after an agonising quarter-final exit.
The 26-year-old took silver at the 2019 World Championships before finishing atop the podium last year and was considered one of GB’s strongest medal hopes for the 2022 Games.
Bankes finished second in seeding behind Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Michela Moioli and eased into the quarters by finishing first in her heat, 0.27 seconds quicker than second-placed Belle Brockhoff.
However, the tables were turned in the quarter-finals, as Brockhoff just managed to pip Bankes to the second qualification spot for the semis, thereby eliminating the Brit.
Bankes took the inside lane and immediately had some ground to make up after an early mishap, but the world champion established a healthy lead over the chasing pack at Intermediate 2.
Canada‘s Tess Critchlow would proceed to overtake dramatically on the inside, and the incredibly tight race saw Bankes collapse with her head in her hands after crossing the line in third place.
Critchlow qualified in first – just 0.01 seconds faster than Brockhoff and 0.09 faster than Bankes – as the USA’s Faye Gulini finished fourth.
