Charlotte Bankes was left ruing her early exit from the women's snowboard cross at Milano Cortina 2026.
Bankes exited in the quarter-finals, the same stage she was defeated at four years ago, with the 30-year-old frustrated at her lack of speed in Livigno.
The Hemel Hempstead star was ninth in qualifying and navigated a difficult 1/8 final to reach the quarters before she was run out of contention in a hard-fought race.
“It’s frustrating because it doesn’t reflect the work that’s been done or the effort from the whole team around me,” she said.
“It’s been a battle and we’ve worked incredibly hard. I’ve been performing well on the World Cup circuit and at the World Championships over the last four years. We came here in a strong position, but unfortunately it didn’t come together.
“This wasn’t about injuries or bad luck. It was simply a disappointing performance. I feel sorry for everyone watching. It feels like I’ve let people down.
"It could have been a great show — we’re in Milan, in Europe, with family here — but I didn’t manage to deliver."
“I haven’t had great speed all week on this track, although we thought we’d found some solutions.
“I knew why I wasn’t fast in qualifying and that wasn’t really a major concern. We knew drafting would be important and that it could play to my strengths, but I couldn’t find the space when it mattered."
Bankes will have a chance to make amends alongside team-mate Huw Nightingale in the team event, having won the world title together three years ago.
Nightingale was also run out of contention in the men's snowboard cross after a strong qualifying run but Bankes believes there is plenty to be positive about.
“I’m still confident going into the team event,” added Bankes.
“There are no issues with the track. I just haven’t ridden at my best this week. We’ve seen before how quickly things can turn around in our sport. It’s tight racing and anything can happen.”
Sportsbeat 2026