GB Snowsport Stars Compete at World Championships
8th March 2021
Last modified on May 12th, 2021
There is a host of world class freestyle action this week with a World Champion and two Olympic medallists representing Britain. You can follow it all live on the BBC if you are in the UK. UPDATED
The biggest event for the British contingent comes up later this week in the USA, but first up are the Moguls and Aerials events of the Freestyle Ski World Championships which are taking place this week in Almaty in Kazakhstan.
The Gerken-Schofield twins, Thomas and Leonie, and their younger sister Makayla, are competing in the Moguls.
Thomas made sporting history a year ago, becoming the first British skier to win a World Cup moguls medal.
Leonie Gerken Schofield – photo Makayla Gerken Schofield
The rest of the GB Moguls Squad for the Championships are Will Feneley, Mateo Jeannesson, Skyler Nunn and Max Willis.
Update: A great result for Thomas Gerken-Schofield, who finished 6th in the Dual Moguls.
Lloyd Wallace is the sole Briton to line up in the aerials but he almost didn’t make it.
He was packed and ready to go but did not have a visa.
After making a plea for help on social media, the paperwork was sorted and he is in Kazakstan.
https://www.facebook.com/lloydwal/posts/10224552004404600
Wallace is due to compete on Wednesday 10th.
Update: Lloyd Wallace finished in 15th place, just missing out on the finals.
He went on social media to announce that he’d made history.”
“First Briton to ever compete and land a quadruple twisting triple somersault – the Full Double Full Full. Only my 4th time ever performing it. I scored 107 for my Full Full Full and placed 15th. Painfully only 3 points off making Finals but that’s aerials.”
The Snowboard & Freeski World Championships take place in Aspen in Colorado from this Wednesday 10th to 16th March.
The GB Squad (full details below) includes three World Championship medallists, four World Cup winners, three X-Games medallists, two Olympic medallists, six Olympians and one Winter Youth Olympic medallist.
GB’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics bronze medallist, Izzy Atkin is returning to competition after suffering a concussion earlier this year.
Atkin won ski slopestyle silver at the Aspen X Games in January but had a heavy fall in her final run.
She has two bronze medals from the two most recent World Championships – in ski slopestyle in 2017 and in ski big air in 2019.
Atkin will be joined by her younger sister Zoe who competes in the ski halfpipe.
In the men’s ski events, Gus Kenworthy, who won Olympic slopestyle silver at Sochi in 2014 while competing under the USA flag, and James Woods will be representing GB.
Kenworthy has stood on the top of the World Cup podium for GB since switching allegiance.
Woodsy is the reigning ski slopestyle World Champion.
The snowboarders include 2020 Crystal Globe winner Katie Ormerod who has come back from injury and in her last competition in Kreischberg finished 8th, and Gabe Adams who recently won the Europa Cup Big Air at Gotschen.
“After a difficult season with changes to the competition calendar, we’re really happy to be able to compete in Aspen at the World Champs,” said Sophie Morrison, Olympic Team Manager.
“A huge thanks goes to the organisers and FIA for heling make it happen. It’s been a difficult year for everyone, however we go into the Champs with a strong team who are looking forward to flying the GB flag.”
Full GB Squad
Freeski – Slopestyle & Big Air
Izzy Atkin, Tyler Harding, Gus Kenworthy, Chris McCormick, Kirsty Muir, Katie Summerhayes, James Woods, Harry Wright.
Freeski – Halfpipe
Zoe Atkin, Connie Brogden, Gus Kenworthy
Freestyle Snowboard – Slopestyle & Big Air
Gabe Adams, Billy Cockrell, Katie Ormerod
The BBC has live coverage of both the Freestyle Ski World Championships and the Snowboard & Freeski World Championships – across the BBC Red Button, iPlayer and BBC Sport website. See the details below.
Other GB Snowsport athletes have been competing in events across Europe.
Last week Charlotte Bankes won gold in a Snowboard Cross World Cup event, following on from triumph at the World Championships last month.
Andrew Musgrave continued with his impressive form with three top 10s at the Cross Country World Championships in Oberstdorf, which concluded at the weekend.
On Sunday he was 7th in a hard 50km race, his best classic result in a World Championships or Olympic Games and by far the best he has ever achieved in a 50km classic.
Next weekend (13th– 14th March), Musgrave will be joined by Andrew Young and James Clugnet in the World Cup at Engadin in Switzerland.
In Alpine, the FIS World Junior Ski Championships began on 1st March and continue until Wednesday 10th.
The best of the British results so far have been a 13th place for Edouard Guigonnet and 19th for Owen Vinter in the Men’s Giant Slalom. There were 56 competitors in the race. Also competing are Olivia Foster, Daisi Daniels and Abi Bruce.
Congratulations go to to Fin Bremner who took bronze in the FIS Snowboarding Big Air at Gotschen in Germany and to Charlie Guest who registered her best ever World Cup result when she finished 23rd in the World Cup Slalom in Jasna, Slovakia at the weekend.
Fin Bremner will be looking to capitalise on his success when he lines up with Glen Ironside and Mia Brookes at the Europa Cup in Leysin, Switzerland, this week.
Update Wednesday 10th March: Mia Brookes has won the Snowboard Slopestyle Europa Cup event at Leysin. It’s her second Europa Cup victory this season after winning the Big Air in Davos in February. She also has two second place finishes.
More action coming up….
Alpine World Cup, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia – 13th-14th March
- Charlie Raposo
- Dave Ryding
- Billy Major
Alpine World Cup, Åre, Sweden – 12th-13th March
- Charlie Guest
Alpine Europa Cup, Saalbach, Austria – 10th-13th March
- Roy Steudle
How to Watch the Freestyle Ski World Championships & and Snowboard & Freeski World Championships on the BBC
All times GMT and subject to late changes
Freestyle Ski World Championships
Monday, 8 March
Moguls final
08:50-10:50 – BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Tuesday, 9 March
Dual Moguls final
08:50-10:30 – BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Wednesday, 10 March
Aerials final
08:50-11:15 – BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Thursday, 11 March
Aerials team final
08:50-10:30 – BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Snowboard & Freeski World Championships
Friday, 12 March
Snowboard Slopestyle finals
16:20-18:50 – BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Snowboard Halfpipe finals
19:50-22:10 – BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Saturday, 13 March
Freeski Slopestyle finals
16:20-18:50 – iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Snowboard Halfpipe finals
19:50-22:10 – BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Tuesday, 16 March
Freeski Big Air finals
15:50-17:50 – BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
Snowboard Big Air finals
19:20-21:20 – BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
