Zoe Gillings will race in the women’s snowboard cross final at the X Games as four Brits just selected onto Team GB for Sochi 2014 compete in Aspen.
Gillings fell just short of the top eight that progressed straight to the final after the first qualifying run with her time of 57.889 seconds placing her tenth.
However the 28-year-old, one of 56 Brits selected for next month’s Olympics on Wednesday, wasn’t to be denied in the second qualifying run in Colorado.
With eight advancing after qualifying run one, Gillings was the second quickest of the eight remaining snowboarders in run two after clocking 57.531.
That placed her second in qualifying run two as four advanced and four missed out with Gillings to take to the slopes again on Friday for the final in Aspen.
X Games champion from 2012 Dominique Maltais leads after posting 55.139 however there was less good news for another British Olympic medal hope.
Billy Morgan, who could win Britain’s first medal at Sochi 2014 if all goes to plan, fell agonisingly short in the men’s snowboard slopestyle elimination.
Fourth at last season’s World Championships and putting off knee surgery to compete in Olympic year, Morgan missed out on the crucial top eight by a place.
His first run of 71.66 was his best with Aleksander Oestreng taking eighth place with 84.00 while Torstein Horgmo led the way with an impressive 93.33 first up.
Gillings and Morgan are joined in Aspen by Aimee Fuller and James Woods, who will compete in women’s snowboard slopestyle and men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle respectively.
© Sportsbeat 2014