Muir Falls Short Again, Finishes Fourth in Big Air Event

Freestyle skier Kirsty Muir narrowly missed out on securing a medal for Team GB once more, finishing in fourth place at the Winter Olympics. This marks her second fourth-place result at the Games, underlining a pattern of near misses.

In the big air competition, Muir amassed a total of 174.75 points from her top two runs, falling just 3.5 points short of capturing bronze, which went to Italy’s Flora Tabanelli.

This disappointing outcome comes only a week after the 21-year-old athlete lost out on a slopestyle bronze by a mere 0.41 points.

Canada’s Megan Oldham clinched the gold medal, while Eileen Gu from China, the reigning champion, took home silver in her first big air event since her Olympic victory four years ago.

“I feel a deep sense of pride for executing the two tricks I performed and for attempting a new trick in my final run, even though I didn’t land it,” Muir stated in an interview. “I had to take the risk, and despite the crash, I am pleased with my performance.”

The final competition was delayed by over an hour due to a heavy snowstorm at Livigno Snow Park, and Mathilde Gremaud, a strong contender for a medal, withdrew last minute due to injury, leaving the field seemingly more open for Muir.

Having qualified for the finals in fourth place, Muir found herself in seventh after a remarkable first round where four competitors scored 90.00 points or higher. Realizing she needed a significant score to advance, she delivered a standout performance in her second run, achieving a score of 93.00 with a challenging 1620 trick, a move featuring four and a half rotations, which propelled her into silver medal contention.

At that moment, Gu, who had already secured a silver in slopestyle earlier in the Games, appeared to be falling behind after a struggle with her second jump. However, she redeemed herself in her final attempt, pushing Muir down to third place.

The Chinese athlete, among the highest-paid female sports figures globally, celebrated as if her podium spot was guaranteed, despite the presence of other competitors still vying for a chance to overtake her.

Ultimately, Tabanelli’s final jump scored 94.25 points, the highest of the night, leaving her just 0.75 points short of silver and adding pressure to Muir’s last jump.

As Muir prepared for her final attempt, she took a moment to consult with her coach about her strategy. She opted for another attempt at the 1620 trick but ultimately failed to land it, resulting in a moment of reflection on what could have been as she sat on the snow.

“When the scores came in for the other competitors, I knew I had to deliver something extraordinary to reach the podium, so I’m thrilled I took that chance,” she remarked.

This latest fourth-place finish marks the fifth for Team GB at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, as time is running short to meet the minimum target of four medals set prior to the Games by UK Sport.

Alongside Muir’s two near-misses, snowboarder Mia Brookes also finished fourth in the big air, with Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds achieving the same position in mixed doubles curling, and Marcus Wyatt and Freya Tarbit in the mixed team skeleton.

Brookes had been anticipated to contend for medals in Tuesday’s slopestyle final but did not qualify, while both the men’s and women’s curling teams from Great Britain face significant challenges to advance to the semi-finals.

Nevertheless, optimism remains with freestyle skier Zoe Atkin, the reigning world champion in halfpipe, as she begins her qualifying rounds on Thursday, with the final scheduled for Saturday.

If Team GB achieves its goal of five medals, it will match its record total from previous Winter Olympics held in 2014 and 2018.

Regardless of the outcome, these Olympic Games are already being viewed as a success for the nation, having secured three gold medals—a historic milestone, as Team GB had never won more than one gold at any previous single Games.

This collection includes an inaugural Olympic gold on snow, awarded to Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes in mixed team snowboard cross, along with double gold for Matt Weston in skeleton, with his second gold coming in the mixed team event alongside Tabby Stoecker.