Winter Olympics 2026: Team GB's Zoe Atkin credits 'long journey' and 'huge role model' sister Izzy after landing dream medal at Milano Cortina
By Leon Imber
Updated 22/02/2026 at 14:27 GMT
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After landing her maiden Winter Olympic medal in the women's freeski halfpipe, Zoe Atkin credited the "long journey" she has been on since the Beijing Winter Olympics four years ago, as well as sister and "huge role model" Izzy Atkin. The 23-year-old said she had to overcome "so many mental blocks" in the intervening four years between Beijing and Milano Cortina in order to land a "dream" medal.
Watch medal ceremony as GB's Atkin is presented with brilliant bronze and Gu collects gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
Team GB's bronze-medal winning hero Zoe Atkin spoke of her pride at the "long journey" she overcame as she fulfilled her "dream" of landing on an Olympic podium.
Atkin levelled Team GB's record Winter Olympic medal haul by finishing third in Sunday's freeski halfpipe final. She ended just half a point behind second-placed Li Fanghui, while Eileen Gu took gold to complete a Chinese one-two.
In doing so, Atkin matched the achievement of her sister, Izzy, who she said was a huge inspiration on her path to a maiden Olympic podium.
"I watched her at 2018 when she won her first Olympic medal, the bronze as well," she told TNT Sports. "It was so special.
"She was always such a big inspiration for me, a huge role model, and to back it up eight years later means so much. Now we're like twins, I'm super stoked, and she's super stoked for me as well."
Atkin - who came into Milano Cortina having won the X Games gold in Aspen, has long been tipped as a British freeski prodigy, and was evenhailed as one of Team GB's 'Golden Girls' in northern Italy.
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Watch: Atkin admits to 'so many emotions' after winning 'overwhelming' Olympic bronze
Video credit: TNT Sports
While her first run would have been enough to see her record a bronze-medal finish, she improved upon her score in her third and final attempt to provide an emphatic stamp on her long-awaited dream of landing Olympic hardware.
"Oh my gosh, I feel amazing," Atkin said. "I've so many emotions, this event was super stressful. But so much fun, so many emotions going on. To be able to put two runs down and stand on my first podium is so overwhelming. This has been a dream of mine since, I don't even know how long."
And Atkin spoke about the challenges she has had to overcome in order to reach this point.
"I mean, so many things," she said. "I've overcome so much. It's been such a long journey since the last Games in 2022.
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Watch: Gu puts it DOWN with huge final run to take gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
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"I was 19 at the time, that didn't go the way I wanted it to. To come back four years later, four years is such a long time, I've been working through so much, so many mental blocks.
"Obviously, what we do is really scary. That's been a struggle of mine to work through that. It really is about the journey. I'm so stoked to be on the podium, but honestly, what I've developed, who I've become and the athlete I've become along the way, it just means so much to me."
Atkin said she had massively enjoyed the past fortnight in Italy, but was relieved it was coming to an end.
"It's been so nice to be here, the food has been amazing," she said. "I've been eating so much pasta. It's been so good.
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Watch: 'My goodness!' - Gu overcome with emotion after sealing emphatic halfpipe gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I'm so glad it's over now, and I can just de-stress, drink an Aperol Spritz or something because I've been so stressed all week. To come out and do it in front of such an amazing crowd, it means so much. You really feel the energy here."
Gu: 'At the Olympics, nothing is taken for granted'
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Chinese global superstar Gu picked up her third medal of these Winter Olympics after putting down two magnificent runs, as she extended her list of honours as the most decorated freeskier of all time.
And she spoke of the mental difficulty that came with being branded as the favourite to win the event.
"At the Olympics nothing is taken for granted," Gu told TNT Sports. "Even if you look at the other three halfpipe events, men’s ski, women’s and men’s snowboard, in none of the three events did the statistical favourite win.
"Coming in, I almost felt at a disadvantage because I missed training, the odds were totally in my favour. I felt questionable after my crash in qualis.
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'The best of the best' - Reaction to 'mind-blowing' halfpipe final as Gu takes gold, Atkin bronze
Video credit: TNT Sports
"So it really came down to self-belief and doing what I know how to do, having the run of my life, showing the world what I can do and what I’ve been working on for the last four years.
"It’s a showcase, in a lot of ways. A showcase of discipline and passion, love and despair and fear and ecstasy and hope. That’s the spirit of sport, and I’m happy I was able to display that today."
Gu has largely become the global face of freestyle skiing, thanks to the incredible heights she has reached in the sport.
And her level of support at Milano Cortina was extraordinary, with fans even delaying their flights to leave Italy after the halfpipe final was postponed on Saturday due to the heavy snowfall.
She said those rearranging their returns home were not the only ones dealing with angst.
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Watch: 'She's done it!' - Team GB's Atkin nails final run to seal halfpipe bronze
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I’m so so grateful for all the support," Gu said. "I know people are delaying their flights, but trust me, I was more stressed than they were, because I had to have another night of sleeplessness and visualisation and terror! I’m glad we were all in it together.
"I don’t call them my fans, I call them my friends. Because my mission has always been to bring people into the sport, not just people who watch from home but who actually participate after seeing me.
"So I guess I want to dedicate it to the girls who start skiing because of me, or who heard about the sport for the first time and maybe want to venture outside and try on a pair of twin tips."
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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