Britain’s Zoe Atkin secured back-to-back World Championship medals with silver in the freeski halfpipe in Bakuriani, Georgia.
The 20-year-old, who won bronze at the last Worlds, qualified third for the final and scored 94.50 in the second run to lead her rivals.
But she was beaten by 18-year-old American Hanna Faulhaber’s 95.75 on the penultimate run of the competition.
“It’s amazing. I’m really stoked and so proud,” said Atkin.
“I’m three for three on podiums this year, so that’s really exciting. I’m really stoked to get the next one up this year.
“The conditions were pretty tough and I didn’t really do any of my tricks, so I’m just stoked to be able to put one down. And then to be able to get onto the podium.”
Atkin’s team-mate Kirsty Muir narrowly missed out on a medal in the freeski big air. The 18-year-old, who qualified first, finished in fourth with a total of 171.00 – 3.00 points behind bronze medallist Megan Oldham of Canada.
Gold went to France’s Olympic silver medallist Tess Ledeux (186.75) with Norway’s Sandra Eie claiming silver (175.00).
And Britain’s slopestyle gold medallist Mia Brookes was unable to add to her medal tally when she was fifth in the big air. The 16-year-old finished on 141.75 with Austrian Anna Gasser taking gold (162.50).
Atkin regains ‘excitement’
The silver for Atkin, who won her first X Games gold medal in Ski Superpipe in Aspen, Colorado in January, sees her follow in the footsteps of her younger sister Izzy, Britain’s first Olympic skiing medallist, who won bronze at consecutive World Championships in 2017 and 2019.
American-born Atkin took a break from the sport after finishing ninth at last year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“I had a rough couple of months after the Olympics,” she said. “Post-Olympics depression is really real, and it was definitely real for me, but I remember going to spring camps and sometimes not even putting on my skis.
“I’d drive to the hill and sometimes just turn around and drive back. I took some time off in the summer and went to school in the autumn, which was a nice mental reset – I think I really needed that, because I’ve been skiing since I was two years old.
“So it’s good to get a little break, come back more excited about it. Obviously the podiums mean so much to me, but I’m so hyped to be able to say I’m excited to ski again, to be excited to put on my skis in the morning and go for it.”
