Mia Brookes misses out on Winter Olympics medal in snowboard big air

After calming her nerves with a blast of heavy metal music, Mia Brookes looked down a 50-metre drop and was faced with a choice. Did she try to marginally improve upon two previously solid jumps and have an approximately even chance of nudging herself back into a medal position in the snowboard big air?

Or did she go for broke and attempt to land the first backside 1620 (4½ rather than four rotations) trick in the history of her sport? 

Those who know Brookes were not surprised by her choice and, for a split second, it looked like she had delivered a jump that could challenge for gold let alone bronze. But then it became clear that she had over-rotated and, in just losing control, Britain’s hopes of a first medal of this winter Games had also gone.

The jump was registered as a DNI – meaning that it “did not improve” on her previous two efforts – and Great Britain had to endure a second fourth place of the day after Kirsty Muir had earlier also been edged out of a medal. As chef de mission Eve Muirhead waited at the bottom of the ramp, a delegation of Milan-Cortina organisers passed by with three increasingly elusive Olympic medals.

With the mixed curlers having earlier lost in the semi-final of their competition, the hopeful talk of three medals on a magic Monday in Italy had completely melted away. Agonising Monday instead. It is a considerable early blow to Team GB, whose projections of a record-breaking Winter Olympic medal haul had leaned heavily on the Livigno Snow Park, although it should be stressed that Muir, Brookes and the curlers do all have further podium chances.

Brookes had earlier delivered just exactly what was needed on her first jump; a solid landing following a 1440 trick that saw her complete four complete mid air spins and score 80.85. A single raised arm and then a hug with her waiting parents, Nigel and Vicky, underlined her relief.

It put her fourth after the first run and then, after a similarly sold backside 1260 had taken her to third on the second run with 78.85, she had the platform to attempt something audacious. Yet with snowboarders going in reverse order in the final round, Brookes could only watch as the New Zealander Zoi Sadowksi Synnott delivered an outstanding final score of 83 to nudge her out of the medals.