GB Snowboarder is 2021 Snowboard Cross World Champion
11th February 2021
Last modified on May 20th, 2021
Charlotte Bankes takes gold in Sweden. She used to compete for France but then switched to the British team. Checkout the video of her winning run in a very tight finish.
Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes won her first World Championship title with snowboard cross gold in Udre Fjall.
Bankes, 25, beat Italy’s Olympic champion Michela Moioli to the title by just 0.08 seconds.
Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic finished third after Australian Belle Brockhoff crashed out in the closing stages of the race.
Bankes was top seed in the event and finished first in both of her heats.
And here is her winning run.
🇬🇧Here’s how Charlotte Bankes became Britain’s first snowboarding world champion.
Watch until the end! 🤯pic.twitter.com/or08juVquh
— Team GB (@TeamGB) February 11, 2021
“I am extremely proud to win gold at the World Championships and to be the first GB Snowsport athlete to win a Snowboard Cross World Championship,” said Charlotte after her victory.
“It feels like the hard work is paying off and everything is coming together.
“I’ve had a great week on this track, it’s been really fast, and I am really pleased I managed to hold it together in the final and stay on my feet.
“I had fun racing with the girls, Michela and Eva pushed me all the way and I’m really sorry for Belle (Brockoff), it was a really tight race and unfortunately, she crashed out because of me.
“I want to say a massive thanks to the GB Snowsport coaches and wider team, but also the GB Snowsport Ski Cross team as well.
“We’ve worked as one team all pre-season and it is great that they were there to watch and to be able to share this with them means a lot.
“This win means even more after the really difficult year we have all had. This medal is for all of GB.”
Her previous best at the World Championship was silver in 2019.
Under the French flag she was a three-time World Cup winner and three-time French champion.
She’s competed at two Winter Olympics for France.
Charlotte Bankes was born in Hemel Hempstead to British parents but moved to France at the age of four and then went through the French system.
She switched to competing for Great Britain back in November 2018 as we reported at the time:
“We have said that we will change perception, break boundaries and take Britain to heights way behind expectation and we are doing just that,” said the GB Snowsport CEO, Vicky Gosling.
” It has been a particularly tough period because of cancelled events due to COVID-19, but despite this, Charlotte’s resilience, spirit, dedication, and hard work has clearly paid off.
“It is an incredible result for Charlotte, and I want to give credit to the wider GB Snowsport team who are working hard behind the scenes to help make sure our athletes can compete at the highest level.”
Bankes remains a strong contender for a medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
See here for the other Team GB medal prospects:
Charlotte Bankes. Image c/o GB Snowsport.
