Great Britain’s hopes of winning a first gold medal on snow were dashed as favourite Charlotte Bankes was eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the women’s snowboard-cross in Beijing
The 26-year-old recovered from a slow start to lead for much of the race but was pushed wide on a bend, allowing Tess Critchlow to take a lead she did not relinquish.
Australian Belle Brockhoff, whom Bankes had earlier edged out in her heat, also squeezed past the Briton to claim a semi-final place.
The top three were separated by just 0.09seconds but with only two progressing to the semi-finals, Bankes left to rue what might have been.
Bankes had switched to represent Great Britain in 2018 having raced for France at her first two Olympics in Sochi and Pyeongchang where she finished in seventh and 17th respectively.
Her struggle to fully recover from a pelvic injury she sustained in 2011 contributed to her decision to switch nationalities, her relationship with the French federation having deteriorated to the point she admitted she was seriously considering retirement.
Linking up with Great Britain afforded her a further opportunity, and within a year she had won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Utah, behind Eva Samkova.
Last year Bankes went one better, beating Michela Moioli and Samkova to claim the world title in Idre Fjall, Sweden, raising expectations for her first Games in GB colours.
Her status as favourite was strengthened by the absence of the Czech Republic’s Samkova, the Sochi gold medallist who has not recovered from ankle surgery in December.
Bankes was second-fastest in the individual ranking round, eclipsed only by Italy’s Moioli, and cruised through her eighth final in first place ahead of Brockhoff.
But Brockhoff got revenge in the quarter-final and ended Bankes’ medal hopes in the individual event.
Bankes said: “I gave it my all but it’s frustrating to have the worst race of my season here at the Olympics.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself and I felt I dealt with it pretty well. Unfortunately I didn’t do the race I wanted to do today, and it’s frustrating to do it at the Olympics.”
