Charlotte Bankes' Olympic Triumph After Collarbone Setback
Three-time Olympian Charlotte Bankes faced a daunting challenge when a collarbone injury threatened to derail her fourth Olympic Games. After two surgeries and a grueling recovery, she emerged as an Olympic gold medallist in the mixed team event alongside Huw Nightingale. In an exclusive interview, Bankes revealed the long road back to the top, describing it as a journey into the unknown.
The Injury That Flipped an Olympic Year
2025 was shaping up to be Charlotte Bankes' year. By April, the snowboarder led the World Cup standings with five wins and had just secured a silver medal at the World Championships, narrowly missing gold in a dramatic photo finish. She was on track for a third Snowboard Cross World Cup title in four years, ideal preparation for her fourth Olympic Games.
Then disaster struck. Bankes broke her collarbone, flipping her Olympic year upside down. Initial recovery looked promising, and she returned to the snow in June, but a scan revealed the bone hadn't fully healed. A second surgery in August further jeopardized her hopes of making it back in time for the Games.
Resilient Return to Competition
Eight months after the crash and slightly ahead of schedule, Bankes returned to competition in Cervinia, Italy, in early December. The 30-year-old crashed in the individual event – fortunately just a minor tumble – and exited in the quarter-finals. However, she demonstrated remarkable resilience, bouncing back to win gold in the mixed team event with 24-year-old Huw Nightingale.
"It was a good way to finish the week, that's for sure," Bankes said modestly. "I didn't have that much expectation. I've done, what, 10 days on track since I've been back and only five where we'd really been able to push on, so we were just taking it day by day."
She added: "I feel like I'm missing a few kilometres on the board, but luckily when I got back on snow, I was physically strong enough that everything responded quite well. I was a bit in the unknown."
Teamwork and Tactical Brilliance
A fine run by Nightingale put the team in third position going into the women's leg. Strong performances in the heats against formidable opponents gave the pair confidence despite Bankes' comparative rustiness.
"I hadn't done four by four heats much at all because we hadn't had the time," Bankes explained. "So it was just like, how do I react in that pack, can you make the right decision. In that final, it just seemed to all go quite smoothly. Huw put me in the right position and then it was just like, I can't mess it up now!"
The final result left the typically understated Bankes "really quite pleasantly surprised" with her performance. "For sure, I'd have preferred to do better in the individual race, but also I learned a lot from that, it was probably a step that we needed to take," she reflected.
Mental and Physical Challenges
The timing of the injury added significant pressure. "It kind of put a little bit more time pressure on it," Bankes admitted. "I probably wouldn't have come back as quickly the first time without the Olympics looming. The second time we were quite patient."
Mentally, the recovery process was particularly challenging. "At the start, it was just frustration to not be able to defend that position of leading the World Cup and to finish my season like that," she said. "But I was kind of like, at least it's only a collarbone and I'll be back soon."
"It was more difficult when it didn't heal and I had to have a second surgery," Bankes continued. "I was supposed to be going down to South America for training, and it was kind of like, we're going to have to completely change how I approach this season. It's not ideal, but I think that you learn a lot of things as well."
Historic Achievement for Team GB
Two days after a disappointing exit in the individual event, Bankes put that crushing disappointment aside. A series of clinical, aggressive runs at Livigno Snow Park sent her and Nightingale through to the final of the mixed team event. The pair, who won the world title in the discipline in 2023, withstood immense pressure to secure a glittering Olympic gold.
This victory represented not just redemption for Bankes after three frustrating Olympics, but also an historic first-ever Olympic gold for Team GB on snow. The Milano-Cortina Olympics became Britain's best-ever Winter Games, with the nation never before winning two golds at the same Games. Skeleton racer Matt Weston claimed the first with individual gold on Friday night, with potential for more medals to come.
Inspiring the Next Generation
As a youngster growing up in Puy-Saint-Vincent in the Alps, Bankes developed her passion for snowsports early, following in the footsteps of older brothers William and Thomas. She cited Turin in 2006 – the last time the Games were held in Europe – as a key inspirational moment.
"I was too young to think that far ahead in terms of becoming an Olympian," Bankes recalled. "But when I was growing up I went to watch the Games and it did inspire me. I think that being able to do that, inspire the general public and sporting fans into the Winter Olympics, and within that culture of winter sports – Italy is a massive skiing country – I think it will just bring in a lot more people and hopefully it'll be a good show."
Now with an Olympic gold medal around her neck, Bankes and Nightingale's success may well inspire the next generation of Britain's snowboarding stars, cementing their legacy in winter sports history.
