Team GB Halfpipe qualifier Zoe Atkin - everything you need to know
The 19-year-old will be hoping to make her mark during her first Olympic Winter Games after opting to represent Team GB
Freestyle Skiing
It has been a disappointing Olympic Winter Games for Great Britain, but Zoe Atkin is among the athletes looking to make their mark at Beijing 2022.
The 19-year-old will be competing in the women's freeski halfpipe, with qualification starting tomorrow as she hopes to progress to the final.
There is plenty of reason to be excited about Atkin ahead of her first Olympic appearance.
Family ties
While Zoe is competing in her first Olympic Winter Games, her sister Izzy Atkin has already enjoyed a taste of how it feels to make the podium at the Games.
At PyeongChang 2018, she came away with bronze in the freeski slopestyle, coming behind Swiss duo Sarah Hoefflin and Mathilde Gremaud.
She won't be taking part this time around after breaking her pelvis at the Dew Tour in Colorado in December.
The 23-year-old had already pulled out of the big air before it was concluded that she wasn't fit enough to compete in the slopestyle, leaving it to Zoe to carry the family's hopes in Beijing.
National allegiance
Both Zoe and Izzy Atkin chose to represent Great Britain while having the opportunity to compete for United States of America.
“I have never regretted my choice,” Izzy told KSL Sports. “We are in the lucky position to be able to choose, you know, which country to represent, or which team to be on. Yeah, I feel pretty lucky to be a part of Team GB.”
The pair were born in USA to an English father and Malaysian mother and have represented Great Britain from a young age.
Fulfilling dreams
“For me, it’s always been a really big dream just to go to the Olympics, so I’m really excited for that,” Zoe told KSL Sports. “Biggest goals would be, like, landing my new runs at X Games and the Olympics, and then I’ll be happy.”
The 19-year-old's goals for the Games may be modest, but she has already enjoyed success in her career.
She made her first podium in a halfpipe World Cup in 2019 when she was still 16, then secured bronze at the 2021 Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
A long time in the making
As a young child, Zoe would spend time on the slopes in Maine on weekends as they momentarily escaped the hustle and bustle of Boston.
The sisters moved to Utah when Zoe was nine and Izzy was 14, and they aimed to make the most of the world-class facilities there while looking to take their training up a level.
This sort of dedication and the performances they were putting in earned plenty of attention, including that from Great Britain, which started Zoe's journey to representing them at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
When can I watch Zoe Atkin in action?
The women's freeski halfpipe qualification run 1 will be played out on Thursday 17 February at 09:30 (01:30 GMT), with the second run coming at 10:21.
A day later, final runs 1 (09:30), 2 (09:58) and 3 (10:25) will take place and decide who wins the medals.