Cheltenham’s Maisie Hill ended her Winter Olympic journey on a high note, showing resilience and determination despite not advancing to the slopestyle final.
The 25-year-old returned to the slope on Sunday with one clear goal: to deliver a run that reflected her true capabilities. Though she stumbled on her first attempt, Hill refocused and successfully landed every trick on her second run, marking a clean finish to her Olympic campaign. She finished 21st overall with a best score of 48.66 points, while only the top 12 secured spots in the final round.
“I’m just so happy to have landed my tricks,” Hill shared. “After Big Air didn’t really go my way, I’m really stoked to have produced something like that. My first run didn’t land, but I knew I had to put something down, and I’m really proud of myself.”
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The slopestyle event faced a sudden schedule change, moving from Monday to Sunday due to worsening weather conditions over the Livigno peaks. This adjustment left the athletes with one less day for training, something Hill felt impacted her preparations.
“We didn’t really have a lot of training,” she explained. “They moved the event, and we were supposed to have another day, so I wasn’t totally ready, but I’m still really happy to have put something down.”
A surprising turn in the competition came with Hill’s teammate, 19-year-old Mia Brookes, exiting in 16th place. Brookes, a favorite and one of the brightest young talents—having won world gold at 16 and recently clinched an X Games title—could not progress to the final after a fall on her first run and a shaky second attempt.
Hill expressed sympathy for her teammate’s unexpected early departure but remained confident about Brookes’ future success. “That’s really unfortunate, but she’ll come back because she’s so young,” Hill said.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Kirsty Muir narrowly missed out on her first Winter Olympic medal, finishing fourth in the women’s skiing Big Air final. Despite pushing the limits with a new trick, Muir crashed in an attempt to reclaim a podium position but embraced the experience with no regrets.
“I knew I really had to go for it,” Muir reflected. “I went for the 1620 again and tried a tail grab for the first time. I’m really stoked that I went for it—just to give it a sling makes me proud.”
Hill’s performance and positive attitude highlight the spirit of perseverance and passion that defines the Olympic experience.