Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes roared back from a disappointing quarter-final exit in the women’s snowboard cross to become Olympic champion for the first time in the mixed event.
Partner Huw Nightingale put down one of his best-ever runs at the Livigno Snow Park to put GB in second place ahead of the women’s wave, just 0.14 seconds behind France.
France’s Lea Casta stretched that lead to over a second in the top section of the 1.1km course but Bankes played a patient game, storming back into contention with a brilliant undertake in the second half and holding off her rival to win Olympic gold by 0.43 seconds.
It was redemption for Bankes after a devastating early exit in the individual event on Friday, in the exact same round as she crashed out in Beijing four years ago.
She was hugged by Nightingale at the finish, with the pair now sealing the Olympic title three years after becoming world champions in the event.
Silver went to Italy’s Lorenzo Sommariva and Michele Moioli, the individual bronze medallist, with France’s Casta and Loan Bozzolo taking bronze.
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