Winter Olympics 2026: Team GB's Zoe Atkin takes halfpipe bronze as Eileen Gu storms to stunning gold at Milano Cortina 2026
Updated 22/02/2026 at 14:28 GMT
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Team GB's Zoe Atkin secured a bronze medal in the halfpipe final on Sunday as Eileen Gu took the gold following a staggering final run. It was the first bronze medal for Team GB at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, as Atkin took her team's overall medal tally to five. The 23-year-old finished just 0.50 points behind second-placed Li Fanghui, as China secured a one-two on the podium.
Watch: 'My goodness!' - Gu overcome with emotion after sealing emphatic halfpipe gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
Zoe Atkin has won Team GB's fifth medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics as she took bronze in the women's halfpipe final on Sunday.
Eileen Gu, the most decorated freeskier of all time, won her sixth Olympic medal and third gold with a stunning third run which saw her cement her position at the top of the pack.
It was a one-two for China on the podium, with Li Fanghui in second, just 0.50 points ahead of Atkin.
Atkin had been leading on the first run after a mistake from Gu but the latter rebounded with a strong run second time around to go back into first.
The Brit recorded 90.50 on her opening run, a score which ultimately would have seen her record bronze regardless of her scoring in the second and third.
But after falling on her second, she bettered her score by two points in the third - running Li close in the race for silver.
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Watch: Atkin admits to 'so many emotions' after winning 'overwhelming' Olympic bronze
Video credit: TNT Sports
Gu, meanwhile, posted 94 and 94.75 in her second and third runs, finishing comfortably top in yet another showcase of her ability to dominate freestyle skiing.
Team GB's tally of five medals equals their all-time record at a Winter Olympics. They achieved the same tally in 2014 and 2018, and there is still the opportunity for more hardware as Brad Hall's four-man team eye a medal in the bobsleigh.
Atkin, who came into the Milano Cortina Games off the back of winning the X Games, played her part in a "spectacular show", TNT Sports expert James Woods said.
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Watch: 'She's done it!' - Team GB's Atkin nails final run to seal halfpipe bronze
Video credit: TNT Sports
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Watch: Gu puts it DOWN with huge final run to take gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I can't even begin to say how wonderful it was to see everyone in that final deliver," Woods said. "We had such a good show all the way until the end.
"I could dive into the technicalities of why, but how amazing everyone was able to deliver their piece and put it into the judges' hands."
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Alongside Woods in the TNT Sports studio, former British snowboarder Aimee Fuller said of Atkin's performance: "I think we have to take a moment of appreciation for the amplitude of her run.
"She went absolutely massive. She was floating above the deck, so calm, so composed."
Per the BBC, by winning bronze, Atkin matched the feat of her sister, Izzy - who became the first Team GB medallist on skis when she came third in the slopestyle event in Pyeongchang.
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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
Gold medal winner Gu, meanwhile, scooped her third medal of the Milano Cortina Games, having won silver in both the slopestyle and big air events.
There was also a promising display from Australian 16-year-old Indra Brown, as she recorded a fifth-placed finish with a final run which scored at 87.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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