Zoe Atkin claims Winter Olympics first to help Team GB achieve record-equalling medal haul

Freestyle skier Zoe Atkin has shared her delight at claiming Great Britain’s record-equalling fifth medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 23-year-old won bronze in the women’s halfpipe to emulate her older sister Izzy’s success at PyeongChang eight years ago.

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Izzy Atkin became GB’s first-ever Olympic medallist in skiing following her bronze medal win in slopestyle in 2018.

Zoe Atkin claims Winter Olympics first

Ironically, both sisters have now helped the team claim a best return of five medals at the Winter Games, having also done so in 2014.

Zoe Atkin’s triumph in Italy has also ensured that the pair are GB’s first set of siblings to both medal at the Winter Games.

Gold medalist Eve Muirhead could have boasted the family feat, but her brothers, Thomas and Glen, missed out on a podium in 2018.

The Atkins now have their own slice of Winter Olympics history, with Zoe telling talkSPORT: “My sister’s always been my biggest role model.

“She was the reason I got into the sport, and watching her win an Olympic medal in 2018 in PyeongChang was super inspirational for me.

“I think that’s the first time I was like, ‘Wow, maybe I could also do that one day.’

“So that kind of breaking those barriers and kind of showing me what’s possible within sport was something that my sister did for me.

“And so to have her watching me at the bottom is kind of super full circle, just like when I was watching her in Korea. And I’m just super, super stoked that we have these matching medals now.”

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Zoe Atkin had already secured a medal ahead of her final run and then improved her score to 92.50.

However, she finished just half a point shy of silver medal position, which was claimed by Li Fanghui, with Chinese compatriot Eileen Gu winning gold.

On her success, Atkin, who holds dual UK-American citizenship, added: “Pretty awesome. I’m definitely super stoked.

“I’m definitely having a lot of emotions right now. It’s kind of crazy.

“I mean, I’ve been thinking about this moment for at least the past four years and working really hard. I’m just really stoked that I was able to put down a good run and be really proud of my skiing.

“An Olympic medal is definitely some icing on the cake, so I’m definitely super stoked.”

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Team GB medal haul

Atkin, from Massachusetts, has now earned GB’s record-equalling fifth Winter Olympics medal in a historic Games.

Great Britain had previously never won more than one gold at a single Winter Games, but will take home three from Italy.

Matt Weston boasts two on his own, following his triumph in the men’s singles skeleton and mixed team with Tabby Stoecker.

Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale added the third in the mixed team snowboarding, with the curlers so close to a fourth gold.

But Bruce Mouat’s squad instead had to settle for silver after a 9-6 defeat to Canada, who have been embroiled in a cheating scandal.