An Olympic gold medal on snow has long seemed like the impossible for Team GB’s winter athletes. One hundred and two years, to be exact.
But for those in the know, it has been just a matter of time.
In winning the mixed team snowboard cross title in Livigno on Sunday, Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale have written themselves into the history books, forever to be known as the first – yet it has been a very real prospect for some time.
In 2018, GB Snowsport set the lofty ambition of Great Britain becoming a top five snow sport nation by 2030.
It was a target set to build on the success of snowboarder Jenny Jones, Team GB’s first medallist on snow with her 2014 bronze, and the same colour won by freestyle skier Izzy Atkin and snowboarder Billy Morgan four years later.
But it was also a target that raised eyebrows and smirks, and perhaps with four years to go, may still be a touch too ambitious – but the trajectory of progression is undeniable.
In Bankes – both individually and with Nightingale – Mia Brookes and Zoe Atkin, GB has world champions on snow. It has overall multiple Crystal Globe winners, X Games and World Cup gold medallists too.
“We’ve been saying we’ve got the talent, we’ve been showing the talent in World Championships and World Cups, but everybody looks to the Olympics because everything is amplified,” Gosling told BBC Sport.
“Here we are, actually producing that gold. For us, that is massive.
“We’ve said that anything is possible. We have amazing Brits with grit and amazing talent, it’s all about unlocking that.
“People can truly see it’s possible and we can deliver Olympic medals.
“Hopefully we are inspiring the next generation to get themselves to snow domes and get themselves prepared because the future is looking rosy.”
Speaking after Sunday’s gold, Nightingale said: “What we’ve shown today, we are becoming a top snow sports nation and that’s great for kids to see.
“We inspire kids to go on the slopes and go snowboarding or skiing or whatever it is, just try out winter sports.
“As a nation, if we get young kids into it, we can do very well.”
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