GOING, GOING, GONG!

Snowboarding queen Katie chasing a full set of medals

KATIE ORMEROD grew up snowboarding on a plastic slope in Halifax.

But if the 24-year-old can land the Olympic gong she so craves in the Slopestyle or Big Air events then, despite those inauspicious sporting origins, there won’t be a major event in her chosen field in which she hasn’t won a medal.

She is an 11-time World Cup medalist, Big Air world champion, has a bronze medal from the prestigious Laax Open and is an X Games bronze medalist.

And, in 2020, she became the first British winner of the Crystal Globe, when she was crowned Overall World Cup Slopestyle champion.

“I love all the medals, I pretty much have everything except an Olympic medal, so that would definitely be nice to add to the collection,” said Ormerod, who was forced out of the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a career-threatening heel injury just two days before they started.

“In my comeback season, I had the best season of my career, with five World Cup podiums, three Yellow Bibs and my first Crystal Globe.

“That would have been really amazing regardless of having 18 months off with injury, but because of that it feels even nicer that I came back and did that.

“It was also the first Olympic qualifying year and since then I have had good results as well, so I’m going into Beijing in good shape and feeling really confident.

“Now I’m just hoping I can land the best runs and see what result I can get.

“Women’s snowboarding now is really exciting, the progression is going up and up. Because of that, every girl at the Olympics has a chance to podium.

“It means I’m going to have to produce my best run ever, but I’ve had some really good results over the last few years so I know it’s possible.

“I’m so proud of the fact that I’ve come from snowboarding on plastic slopes to competing at the Olympic Games. Hopefully my story has proved it is doable and will have inspired others to get involved in snowboarding.”

Viewers tuning in to coverage of these Olympics will surely be awed by the athleticism of Ormerod and her fellow snowsport athletes competing on the jumps, bumps, rails and pipes.

No doubt many will be left thinking they must all have a screw loose to do what they do. Ormerod added: “There’s definitely a bit of craziness in the athletes.

“But it’s just part of my personality, I’ve been an athlete for as long as I can remember and I’ve always wanted to push myself, push limits, push the whole sport.

“I became the first girl in the world to land the Backside Double Cork 1080, so it’s always been in me to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

“But even as a professional I do turn up to some events and look at the jumps and think, ‘This is crazy that this is so normal for me’.”