Zoe Atkin Emulates Sister Izzy with Olympic Bronze in Freeski Halfpipe
In a remarkable family achievement, Zoe Atkin has soared to a bronze medal in the women's freeski halfpipe at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. This triumph comes eight years after her older sister, Izzy Atkin, secured Britain's first-ever Olympic skiing medal with a bronze in the same event at the PyeongChang 2018 Games.
A Historic Sibling Duo for Team GB
The Atkin sisters have now etched their names into the history books as the first British siblings to medal at the Winter Olympic Games since 1924. That year, brothers Colin and Eric Carruthers won gold in men's ice hockey for Britain. Zoe, aged 23 and hailing from Birmingham but now living in California, expressed deep emotion about her podium finish.
"To be able to come back to the Olympics and be on the podium means so much to me," Zoe said. "I wanted to one up Izzy so bad, but she's always been my biggest role model. It was so full circle to have her watching me here and supporting when I was watching her in PyeongChang."
Friendly Rivalry and Shared Success
Despite competing in different events—with Izzy preferring slopestyle—the sisters have fostered a unique sibling rivalry. Off the slopes, they are best friends, but on them, the desire to outperform each other is fierce. In Italy, Zoe scored 82.50 in the final, securing third place but not quite overtaking her sister's legacy.
"To share that with her just means so much," Zoe added. "I definitely think we should weigh them and see which one is heavier. We'll have to find a display for both of them and put them in the house somewhere."
Milano Cortina 2026 Medal Highlights
Gold in the women's freeski halfpipe went to China's Eileen Gu, who delivered a stunning final run of 92.50 after being limited to two silvers earlier in the Games. Silver was claimed by her compatriot Li Fanghui, making it a Chinese one-two finish. Zoe's bronze marks Team GB's fifth medal at Milano Cortina, equalling their records from Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018 for the most medals won at a Winter Olympics.
With three golds among those five medals, this could arguably be Britain's best Olympic return of all time. "I'm so stoked," Zoe exclaimed. "I can't even begin to describe the rollercoaster of emotions. I've been working on my run for the past four years, even longer, and to be able to come back to the Olympics and be on the podium means so much to me. I've been thinking about this for so long."
For viewers in the U.K., TNT Sports on discovery+ will be the primary destination to watch all live action from Milano Cortina 2026, offering over 850 hours of coverage across every sport, venue, and medal event.
