Zoe Atkin Wins Bronze, Team GB Matches Olympic Record

Zoe Atkin smiled at the top of the halfpipe, knowing a medal was already hers, and dropped in one last time to boost her score and claim Olympic bronze. The 23-year-old freestyle skier just delivered Great Britain's fifth medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, matching the team's record haul.

Atkin scored 92.50 in the women's halfpipe final, finishing just half a point behind silver. China's Eileen Gu took gold with 94.75, while her compatriot Li Fanghui claimed silver.

The moment carries extra meaning for the Atkin family. Zoe's sister Izzy won Team GB's first-ever Olympic medal on skis with slopestyle bronze in 2018, and now Zoe has matched that achievement exactly eight years later.

"I've literally dreamed about this moment since watching my sister win her bronze in 2018, so to back her up eight years later feels so good," Atkin told reporters. "To have her supporting me here, it feels full circle."

Atkin arrived in Livigno as the reigning world champion and fresh from winning X Games gold. She qualified first for the final, then held the top position after the opening run with a score of 90.50.

The pressure mounted when Gu improved dramatically on her second attempt. But Atkin had already secured bronze, and she wasn't about to let nerves steal her joy.

Team GB has now won three golds, one silver, and one bronze at these Games. The three gold medals alone make this their most successful Winter Olympics ever, since Britain had never won more than one gold at a single Winter Games before 2026.

Why This Inspires

Atkin's path to the podium included an unusual training ground: Stanford University, where she studies symbolic systems. The coursework explores how the brain works, and Atkin applied those lessons directly to conquering fear in her sport.

"The tricks and maneuvers that we're doing inherently have a lot of risk to them," she explained before the Games. Halfpipe walls stand 6.7 meters high, and athletes can soar more than 5 meters above that, meaning a fall could mean dropping nearly 12 meters onto ice.

"I've struggled with fear a lot in the past, especially when I was younger," Atkin shared. "Learning about the mechanisms of the brain has really helped me apply those learnings and new mindsets."

She turned her academic knowledge into athletic power, pushing through the hard moments to discover what's possible. That mental strength showed when she landed two strong runs under Olympic pressure, then enjoyed a final victory lap with her medal guaranteed.

Eight years ago, Zoe watched her sister make history, and now she's written her own chapter in the family story.