Charlotte Bankes admitted she was incredibly disappointed to exit the women’s snowboard cross at the quarter-final stage but backed the good results to come for Team GB.
The 26-year-old world champion arrived in Beijing fresh from an impressive World Cup campaign, which has so far seen her pick up three wins, and qualified second fastest for the knockout rounds.
But after progressing through the first round, Bankes’ Team GB debut ended in the quarter-finals as despite leading for much of the race she was pushed wide on a bend, allowing Canada’s Tess Critchlow through.
Australia’s Belle Brockhoff also snuck past to deny Bankes, who finished seventh at PyeongChang 2018 when competing for France, a place in the semi-finals.
“I was quite happy with my start, it was a good start on the first section,” she said. “I managed to pass over on the other side which was the windy side.
“Then bank 5, I made a small mistake, Tess [Critchlow] came on the inside and then I just didn’t have the speed on the last section to come through.
It's heartbreak for #TeamGB's Charlotte Bankes.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 9, 2022
Keep that head held high. ❤️
Watch LIVE on @BBCTwo. https://t.co/yhmw4TrCm9#bbcolympics #Beijing2022 #snowboard pic.twitter.com/XwvyFyrMJd
“I knew it was going to be tight racing, I knew it. I gave it my all but it's kind of frustrating to have the worst race of my season here at the Olympics.”
Bankes was not the only big name to miss out on a shot at a medal as Italy’s reigning Olympic champion Michela Moioli finished the small final with a bloodied face, a reminder of just how brutal and unpredictable this discipline can be.
“For sure I'm disappointed, frustrated with how it went, but I’m not the only one,” said Bankes.
“You can see Michy [Michela Moioli] was in the small final. That's how it is.
"It's a tough day for me, we didn't come here for this with the team. That’s boardercross, we just need to look further ahead now."
There was a redemption story for America’s Lindsey Jacobellis as 16 years after she famously spurned gold in Turin, when she crashed after showboating with the finish line looming, she topped the podium in Beijing aged 36.
Despite not getting the outcome she wanted on Day 5 in China, Bankes was resolute in her belief that the results will come for her Team GB colleagues as the Games progress.
12 years ago, with a huge lead and two jumps left, Lindsey Jacobellis attempted a celebratory trick. She caught an edge and settled for silver. In just a few minutes, she'll go for redemption in the #PyeongChang2018 snowboard cross final. pic.twitter.com/0LwttsYZvG
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) February 16, 2018
She said: “There's a strong squad and there's going to be some good results coming, I'm sure of that.
"I've been focused on my own event, but I’m cheering everybody on and the results will come.
"We are giving it our best and that's all we can do."
Bankes revealed she was unlikely to have made it to the Olympics if she had not switched allegiance to the country of her birth and thanked her team for their immeasurable support.
"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't made that choice and the support they've given me has been amazing,” she added.
"What's hard is that the team around me is just amazing and it's disappointing for all of us.
"We know it's boardercross, this is what we work towards but it's our sport and it can happen."