In 2018, as a 15-year-old, Zoe Atkin watched her massive sister Izzy win Winter Olympic bronze for Team GB – and a spark was lit.
She needed her second on the rostrum. She needed to do the identical.
That fireplace burned for eight years till Sunday, when she did.
In successful halfpipe bronze in Livigno, Atkin turned solely the second British athlete to win an Olympic medal on skis.
Keeping the honour within the household, the primary was her sister within the Pyeongchang slopestyle.
“She’s always been my biggest inspiration, she pushed me into the sport, she was always bullying me to jump off things on the mountain,” mentioned 23-year-old Atkin.
“After watching her [win the medal] it’s always been a huge goal for me.
“It’s an actual full-circle second as a result of she was right here supporting me, and I used to be there when she received her bronze medal, so it is actually particular.
“Obviously I wanted to one-up her a bit but it’s really special that we both have the bronze.
“My mum is claiming that she’s the primary mother or father to have two Olympic medallists for GB within the household.”
Atkin had already secured a medal when she dropped into the pipe for her final run and, with the pressure off, improved her score to 92.50 – just half a point shy of the silver medal position.
China’s global superstar Eileen Gu won gold, her first of these Games after two silvers, with 94.75, while compatriot Li Fanghui took silver.
Atkin’s medal was the fifth for Great Britain at the Milan-Cortina Games, after three golds and a silver, equalling the team’s record-best haul from 2014 and 2018.
But this was the team’s most successful Winter Olympics the moment Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale secured the second of those golds in the mixed team snowboard cross exactly a week ago.
Never earlier than had Great Britain received a couple of gold at a single Winter Games.
