Charlotte Bankes Wins First World Cup Since Injury

Charlotte Bankes is back and better than ever, winning her first snowboard cross World Cup race since breaking her collarbone just nine months ago.

The 30-year-old British athlete owned the slopes in Dongbeiya, China, blazing through qualification as the fastest competitor. She didn't slow down from there, winning both her quarter-final and semi-final races before claiming victory in the Big Final ahead of Australia's Josie Baff and France's Chloe Trespeuch.

The win marks Bankes' first podium finish since March, when she took bronze in Montafon before her injury sidelined her at the end of last season. Now fully recovered, the two-time Crystal Globe winner is showing the world she's a serious contender for Olympic gold when the Winter Games open in Milan-Cortina on February 6.

Her comeback couldn't be more perfectly timed. Bankes was knocked out in the quarter-finals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics despite being the reigning world champion at the time.

This victory proves she's learned from that disappointment and is approaching the 2026 Games in peak form.

Why This Inspires

Bankes' journey from broken collarbone to World Cup champion in less than a year shows what determination looks like in action. Most athletes would still be finding their rhythm after such an injury, but she dominated every single round in China like she'd never left the sport.

Her story reminds us that setbacks don't define our futures. The same athlete who faced disappointment in Beijing and injury last spring is now entering the Olympics as one of the favorites to medal.

Meanwhile, Scotland's Neil Simpson added his own inspiring chapter to the week, taking silver in the Saalbach World Cup Super G races alongside guide Rob Poth. The 23-year-old Paralympic gold medalist had already claimed bronze medals in back-to-back Downhill races earlier in the week, proving Britain's winter sports athletes are hitting their stride at exactly the right moment.

Another set of races kicks off Sunday in Dongbeiya, giving Bankes another chance to prove her comeback is no fluke.