Britain’s Katie Ormerod misses out on snowboard slopestyle final at the Winter Olympics after disappointing 19th place finish in qualifying four years after snapped heel bone cost her a place in Pyeongchang Games
- Katie Ormerod could only finish 19th in snowboard slopestyle qualification
- Only the top 12 progressed to Sunday’s final meaning the Briton missed out
- It came four years after a snapped heel cost her a place in the last Olympics
- Ormerod was upbeat despite missing out and will re-focus for the Big Air event
A snapped heel in Pyeongchang, a fractured dream in Beijing.
Katie Ormerod’s fortunes on the Olympic stage continue to sway towards the unfavourable.
She arrived in China as one of Team GB’s medal contenders, but failed to reach Sunday’s snowboard slopestyle final after finishing an underwhelming 19th in qualifying in Zhangjiakou.
Britain’s Katie Ormerod missed out on the final of the snowboard slopestyle event in Beijing
Ormerod could only finish 19th in qualification with the top 12 progressing to Sunday’s final
With only the top 12 going through, the 2020 slopestyle world champion will now turn her attention to the big air event, which commences qualifying on Monday week.
She was distinctly upbeat in her assessment, but perhaps privately her failure to get into the final will sting.
‘It feels amazing to be able to call myself an Olympian,’ said Ormerod, who snapped her heel bone in two while training on the eve of competing at Pyeongchang 2018.
‘I’ve been waiting years to finally say that. To drop in and compete at an Olympics, it feels really special.
‘I’m really happy with my runs. It’s been a really challenging and difficult course to master, so just to be able to put a full run down and it’s exactly how I wanted it as well, so I couldn’t be any happier with my riding.
Ormerod was delighted to compete at a Winter Olympics after missing out in 2018
She will now concentrate her energies on the snowboard big air event in Beijing
‘The snow is definitely a lot more challenging than real snow, because of just how firm it is. I made it work so I’m really proud.’
Ormerod scored 47.38 on her first run in Beijing, which left her in the 12th and final qualifying place going into the second.
By following up with a 44.01 score she dropped to 19th, nearly 40 behind the leading mark of 86.75 set by New Zealander Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
The result might serve to justify fears within GB Snowsport that British-based athletes could pay for the travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic and Brexit.
Ormerod added: ‘I’m just going to rest in between and put all my focus into big air.’
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott led the competition ahead of the finals on Sunday
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