Team GB clinched two medals on the final day of competition at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Kirsty Muir secured Team GB’s only individual medal of the Games, winning silver in the freestyle skiing big air competition at the Leysin Park and Pipe Centre.
The Scot, who qualified for the final in third place, was right in medal contention from the start, registering a score of 82.50 to place her in first position after run one. Scores of 78.50 and 87.50 in runs two and three further solidified her place on the podium, with her final score of 171.00 from her best two runs ensuring that she’d clinched second place. China’s Ailing Eileen Gu claimed the gold, with her combined score totalling 171.25 – just 1.25 in front of Muir.
Muir, who will also have the honour of being Team GB’s flagbearer at tonight’s closing ceremony in the Lausanne Medal Plaza, was pleased with the outcome: “I’m really happy with how I skied, I aimed for my best tricks and managed to put them down well – I’m just so delighted.
“I’m just so happy (with the silver), Eileen had some amazing runs and she’s a really great skier and was amazing today. I really hope this will inspire some of the younger athletes back at home. I just try to ski how I ski with the hope that it will inspire some people.”
Elsewhere, Olivia Weedon capped off an unforgettable week at the Youth Olympic Games with a bronze medal in short track speed skating mixed country relay, lining up with individual double gold medallist Whi Min Seo (KOR) as well as Ethan De Rose (NZL) and Thomas Nadalini (ITA) to make up Team A.
In an high octane final race, there was almost nothing between the teams until a fall from Team G with 12 laps to go opened up the pack. It was Team B who sealed the gold medal with Team G just behind them in silver after pulling away from Weedon’s Team A in the final moments of the race.
Speaking after her bronze medal win, Weedon was clearly elated: “I’m on cloud nine right now – it’s been amazing this whole experience. Even to be in the relay team, I was like yes, that’s my achievement.”
With two personal bests and a bronze medal to her name, Weedon had a Youth Olympic Games few could beat: “I didn’t expect to come in here and do this at all. I thought that I’d come in, I’d skate well, but I didn’t imagine any of this would happen.
“I’ve never skated with half of these people before, never been in a relay with half of these people before, so just getting to skate with these people and experience how they skate was amazing. You just don’t get a feeling like it.”
Freestyle skier, Jasper Klein, was the only other Team GB athlete in action on day 13, securing a top 10 finish in the men’s big air competition. Klein’s combined score of 133.75 from his best two runs saw him claim ninth position – Matej Svancer of Czech Republic was the eventual winner, triumphing with a score of 186.00.
Team GB finished the Lausanne Games with seven medals in total, with Muir’s silver and Weedon’s bronze, adding to the four ice hockey medals (Amy Robery, Mack Stewart, Mirren Foy and Evan Nauth) and one speed skating medal (Theo Collins) won in week one.
Results:
Freestyle skiing – women’s big air:
- Kirsty Muir – 2nd
Freestyle skiing – men’s big air:
- Jasper Klein – 9th
Short track speed skating – mixed country relay:
- Olivia Weedon (Team A) – 3rd
