Kirsty Muir might be excited about qualifying for an Olympics final, but it’s the mention of trading pin badges that really lights up the skier’s face.
The 21-year-old from Aberdeen cruised into the women’s freestyle skiing slopestyle final with a third-place finish in qualifying at Milano Cortina 2026.
Fighting off the Olympic nerves, Muir’s first run score of 63.18 was quickly backed up by a slight improvement of 64.98 on her second to cement her spot in Monday’s medal showdown.
And if her recent X Games victory, with a mammoth score of 93.66 is anything to go by, not holding back in the final might just mean a medal is on its way to the Scottish skier.
“I think this morning I was quite good. I was focused, I was able to calm myself down a little bit, but my heart was maybe racing a little bit more than usual,” she said.
“After I put my first run down, then I felt a bit of relief and could just be a bit smoother in myself.
“It’s about knowing that I can do it when I’m feeling a little bit nervous, when I’m feeling a little bit of pressure – knowing that I can trust myself and put it down.
“I’m just going to give it everything [in the final]. I’m not going to hold back, and I think that if I do that and I put a run down that I’d like to do, then I’ll be just super proud of myself.”
While Muir is relaxed and gives straightforward answers about her performance, the Scot can only beam when it comes to the Olympic niche that is pin trading.
A phenomenon among athletes and staff alike during every Games, Muir is on a mission to procure the best pin badge collection she possibly can – even documenting her journey with daily updates on TikTok. And if you missed the update from the Opening Ceremony, never fear, as she confirms it’s on its way.
“I’ve got a little bit of an animal collection going,” she said. “I’ve got a kiwi, a moose and a llama from different countries and I’m really liking them. I’ve got the clogs from the Netherlands – they’re like the popular ones. I mean, last night at the Opening Ceremony was the best thing for pin trading; everyone was going at it.
“I didn’t update my peeps last night, but I’ve got some good ones to add to my haul tonight. I think it’s such a cool, different aspect of the Olympics and I love how sociable it can be.
“When would I ever have the courage to go up to another country and just randomly start talking to them? So at least it’s nice to have a purpose to go and speak to more people.”
Muir’s fiercest competition in the women’s slopestyle final will come in the form of world No 1 Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland and face of the sport Eileen Gu of China.
It was a nervy start for the high-flying Gu, who was caught out on a tricky top rail to score a meagre 1.26 points on her first run.
But it’s not that easy to count out the two-time Olympic champion, as she roared back with a second run of 75.30 to qualify in second.
Gremaud sits top with a monster score of 79.15, meaning Muir will have some work to do if she is to challenge for gold on Monday.
:: TNT Sports on discovery+ will be the go-to destination in the UK to watch everything of Milano Cortina 2026 live all in one place, with over 850 hours of action from every sport, venue, and medal event.
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