Winter Olympics: Zoe Atkin tops halfpipe qualifying to boost Team GB gold hopes

Zoe Atkin has raised hopes of a record-breaking fourth Winter Olympic gold for Great Britain by qualifying first for the women’s freestyle halfpipe final.

The 23-year-old produced a stunning first run score of 91.5 to top the standings in Livigno on Thursday.

Her dominant performance signals a major statement of intent ahead of Saturday’s medal showdown.

Defending champion Eileen Gu, meanwhile, survived a scare to progress in fifth place.

World champion form

Atkin arrived at the Games in formidable form after winning the world title in Switzerland last year.

The British skier also secured gold in the superpipe competition at last month’s X Games in Aspen, Colorado.

Success runs in the family, as her older sister Izzy claimed Britain’s first Olympic medal on skis with slopestyle bronze at Pyeongchang 2018.

Should the younger sibling secure victory, it would mark a historic fourth gold of the Games for Team GB.

Gu survives scare

While Atkin dominated, Chinese superstar Gu endured a nervous wait after crashing out of her first run.

The defending champion, who has already won two silver medals at these Games, recovered to score 86.5 on her second attempt.

Gu is the only athlete attempting to compete in all three freestyle disciplines and has been critical of the hectic schedule.

Despite a shaky moment halfway down her second run, the score was comfortably enough to avoid early elimination.

Injury concern for Sharpe

The qualifying session was marred by a significant delay following a heavy crash involving Canada’s Cassie Sharpe.

The 2018 gold medallist and 2022 runner-up required medical attention on the snow.

Sharpe was eventually carried off the course on a stretcher after a 15-minute stoppage.