Historic Snow Gold for Team GB as Champions Celebrate Through the Night
The celebrations continued long into the Italian night in Livigno as Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes toasted their historic achievement of becoming Team GB's first ever gold medallists on snow. The newly crowned Olympic champions in the mixed team snowboard cross event were feeling the after effects the following morning, but the significance of their victory was undeniable.
A Rough but Amazing Morning After
Waking up as Olympic champion can be described in one word for 24-year-old Huw Nightingale: 'Rough'. The snowboarder from Bolton admitted the celebrations had been extensive, but the reality of their achievement had yet to fully sink in. "I feel rough but it's amazing," said Nightingale. "I don't think I've yet realised that we are Olympic champions and I think it will settle in in a few days but at the moment it's still a surreal feeling."
The duo secured victory ahead of Italy and France in a dramatic mixed team final that saw medal favourite Australia crash out. This marked the second gold medal of Milano Cortina 2026 for Team GB, with the nation having never won two golds in a single Winter Games before.
Four Years of Preparation Culminates in Golden Moment
Nightingale revealed that the victory represented the culmination of years of dedicated preparation. "In the last four years, we've had this goal in mind to go to the Olympics and win gold so it was a night where we could relax with our family and have a few drinks," he explained. "It was just a relief to be honest. To have nothing on your mind and to have achieved what you wanted feels like a weight off our chests."
Pressure Building Before Historic Breakthrough
The Livigno Snow Park had not seen a Team GB athlete on the podium until Sunday's historic victory, with painful near misses for both Mia Brookes and Kirsty Muir in their opening events. This meant significant pressure was building for Nightingale and Bankes, who hoped to translate their 2023 world championship gold into Olympic success in Italy.
Both athletes had already experienced disappointment in their individual events. For 30-year-old Charlotte Bankes, born in Hemel Hempstead, the pressure was particularly intense as a former world champion and 25-time World Cup winner. Her quarter-final exit in the individual event stung hard, especially coming into her fourth Olympics in search of a maiden medal.
Overcoming Injury to Reach Olympic Glory
Bankes' preparation was further complicated by a collarbone injury in April 2025. Only returning to the snow in December, she immediately won World Cup golds, making her name prominent in headlines about potential additions to Team GB's medal haul. For Bankes, if she were to describe gold in one word, it would likely be 'relief'.
"This was always the hoped destination," she said. "It has not been easy and we saw this week that it can go badly. I had a really bad performance personally in the individual but we used that strength as a team to bounce back, give everything and have fun, which is how we ride the best."
Breaking the Snowsports Medal Drought
The victory represented more than just personal achievement for the athletes. "We needed to get that first medal in snowsports to keep it rolling," Bankes explained. "It is a massive weight sometimes when it doesn't start that well. Having Kirsty and Mia come fourth and so close, it felt like it needed to go our way and so for the whole team to finally get those medals is so important."
With Kirsty Muir competing in her second final of the Games in the freeski big air and freeski halfpipe world champion Zoe Atkin still to come in Livigno, the opportunities for further Team GB success continue.
Inspiring a New Generation of British Snowsports
Both athletes now live in the snowy peaks of France and Austria, but they hope their gold can inspire more Brits to pick up snowboarding or skiing. "We are showing that GB is becoming a snow sports nation and we can be proud of what we have done this Games," said Nightingale. "There is such little base in the UK for snowsports but we want to grow that and inspire a lot of kids at home to do it."
The historic victory at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics represents a watershed moment for British snowsports, proving that the traditionally rain-soaked nation can compete and win at the highest level on snow.
