Charlotte Bankes’ attempt to make history for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics ended in tears high on a Chinese mountain.
No Briton had won more than a bronze medal on snow in the history of the Games.
Bankes put herself in position to end 98 years of hurt when cruising through qualifying in the women's snowboard cross, winning her first knockout race and leading her quarter-final.
But with the end in sight the Hemel Hempstead-born star miscalculated, and was swallowed up by two of her rivals and finished out of the qualifying spots.
"Disappointment and honestly just disbelief at what happened,” she said after being consoled by support staff.
"I knew it was going to be tight racing and I gave it my all, but it’s frustrating to have the worst race of my season here at the Olympics."
This was not what the British Olympic Association had in mind when they brought Bankes and her coach over from France, whom she represented at the last two Games.
They imagined her ending Britain’s painfully long quest for an Olympic title on snow on this day at Genting snow park, 450 miles east of Inner Mongolia.
Eclipsing the bronze medals won by Jenny Jones (snowboard slopestyle) in 2014, Billy Morgan (snowboard Big Air) and Izzy Atkin (freeski slopestyle) in 2018.
Instead she goes down as another also-ran while France, the nation jilted by Bankes, got to celebrate a silver for Chloe Trespeuch behind American winner Lindsey Jacobellis.
"I can't explain," Bankes said. I've had a great season so far. I'm just sorry for everybody that's watching and all the team that around me.
"We've worked so hard to get this far. We've been riding really well here and to come away from it is tough."
Banks, 26, had finished seventh in PyeongChang when in French colours four years ago before hitting a career high in 2021, excelling at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships where she won the snowboard cross competition.
During last season, she earned five World Cup podium finishes from six races, and her form had seen her billed as the clear favourite coming into Beijing.
For Jacobellis however, a gold medal finally represented redemption, 16 years after winning silver at the Turin Games in 2006.
The 36-year-old famously showboated while in the lead, costing her the title.
