"Few sports at the Winter Olympics are more thrilling or turbulent than snowboard cross. The idea is simple. Four competitors, a steep mountain, ramps, and whoever gets down quickest to the bottom first wins. But jeopardy lurks on every sharp turn and steep bank. And calamities are an unfortunate fact of life. Team GB's Charlotte Bankes knows this better than anyone. Four years ago in Beijing she arrived as a gold medal favourite only to leave in tears after finishing ninth."
"It's just a disappointing performance for me, and I'm just sorry for everybody, the 30-year-old said. Because that's kind of what I feel like. I disappointed everybody. Sorry, I was hoping to put on a better show. It can be cruel. I've been performing well on the World Cup circuit and at the world championships over the last four years, she added."
"The first sign that things weren't going entirely to plan was in the timed seeding run on Thursday morning. Because she only finished ninth of 32 competitors, Bankes knew she would have a harder run to the final. Team GB's Charlotte Bankes walks away disconsolately after her quarter-final exit. Photograph: David Davies/PA Her first round race went well enough with a smooth victory. But in her quarter-final she was quickly in last place despite a decent start."
Snowboard cross features four riders racing down a steep, ramp-filled course where sharp turns and banks create constant jeopardy and frequent calamities. Charlotte Bankes entered the Olympics as a gold-medal favourite after strong World Cup and world championship results but again finished ninth, repeating her Beijing outcome. Bankes won her first-round heat but finished last in her quarter-final despite a decent start and strong speed and power. She expressed deep disappointment and apologised for not delivering a better performance. The two riders who beat her in that quarter-final went on to win gold and silver, while Michela Moioli claimed bronze.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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