Maisie Hill, the 25-year-old snowboarder from Cheltenham, was delighted to end her Olympic slopestyle journey on a high note after overcoming an initial setback.
In Sunday’s event, Hill was determined to deliver a run she could be proud of. Despite falling on her first attempt, she returned with focus and confidence, successfully landing all her tricks on her second run to secure a clean finish. Her best score of 48.66 placed her 21st overall, just outside the top 12 needed to advance to the finals.
“I’m just so happy to have landed my tricks,” Hill expressed. “After Big Air didn’t really go my way, I’m really stoked to have produced something like that. I knew I had to put something down on that second run, and I’m really proud of myself.”
READ MORE: Bromley vs Cheltenham Town TV Guide: How to Watch the League Two Clash
READ MORE: Young Woman Sexually Assaulted in Gloucester by Known Male
The competition had been rescheduled from Monday to Sunday due to rolling clouds over the Livigno peaks, cutting training time short. Hill acknowledged the impact of the change: “We didn’t really have a lot of training. They moved the event, and we were supposed to have another day, so I wasn’t really ready, but still really happy to have put something down.”
Earlier in the competition, Hill’s teammate, Brookes, faced an unexpected exit, finishing 16th. Brookes, a 19-year-old rising star and reigning world and X Games champion, struggled under the Italian sun, falling on her first run and delivering a shaky second that wasn’t enough to reach the finals with a score of 56.53.
Hill reflected on her teammate’s performance with optimism: “That’s really unfortunate, but she’ll come back because she’s so young.”