X Games 2023: Kirsty Muir of Great Britain wins ski big air bronze
- Published
Muir was fifth in the ski big air on her Winter Olympics debut at Beijing 2022
Britain's Kirsty Muir earned a first X Games medal with bronze in the women's ski big air in Aspen, Colorado.
The 18-year-old freestyle skier edged out Switzerland's three-time winner Mathilde Gremaud, 21, by a point for the last place on the podium.
Muir's score of 85 was six behind Canadian winner Megan Oldham, 21, and five shy of silver medallist Tess Leduex, 21, of France.
The Scot described her bronze medal as a "dream come true" on social media.
She won a World Cup ski slopestyle silver in 2021 and was fifth in the ski big air in Beijing on her Winter Olympics debut last year, after previously winning silver at the Youth Winter Olympics in 2020.
As a 13-year-old, Aberdeen-born Muir had won big air, slopestyle and half-pipe titles at the 2018 British Championships.
Muir landed a double court 1620 for the first time in competition to move into second place after three rounds, only behind defending champion Ledeux, following scores of 38, 41 and 44.
Each competitor in big air has five runs, with the cumulative total of their best two scores deciding their placing.
Oldham, who was second behind Ledeux at the 2022 X Games, was under pressure after failing to score in her first two attempts.
But she laid down a first ever women's triple in her third run - scoring the only 50 of the competition - before following that up with a 41 in the next round to move above Muir and into gold medal position.
"Insane level of skiing tonight from everyone," Muir wrote on Instagram. "So stoked to be a part of it!!! Landed my first ever 1620! Stoked to share the podium with Megan Oldham with the first women's triple! And Tess Ledeux - absolute legend! Best night ever!
"Thank you to everyone for all your support. Dream come true."
Muir faced an anxious wait as Olympic big air bronze medallist Gremaud, who won the X Games title in 2017, 2018 and 2021, put the pressure on but she was unable to knock the Briton off the podium with her last run.
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