Zoe Atkin wins Olympic halfpipe bronze and follows sister Izzy’s footsteps for Team GB in Livigno

For Zoe Atkin, the journey to Olympic success has been eight years in the making.

Watching her older sister, Izzy Atkin, claim a bronze medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games lit a fire in her as a 15-year-old.

From that moment, Zoe knew she wanted to stand on the podium herself, and on Sunday in Livigno, she achieved exactly that.

Her bronze in the halfpipe makes her only the second British skier to win an Olympic medal, keeping the honor in the family.

“She’s always been my biggest inspiration,” Zoe said.

“She pushed me into the sport and was always bullying me to jump off things on the mountain.

It’s full circle — I was there for her medal, and now she’s here for mine.”

A Family Affair in Livigno

The Atkin family, split between the U.S. and Surrey, England, has now celebrated two Olympic medals.

Zoe joked that her mother could be the first parent with two British Olympians in the same family.

Izzy, watching from the stands, admitted it was “a huge sigh of relief” to see her sister succeed.

“I know how much time, effort, and grit she’s put in.

It’s incredible to see her proud of her run,” she said.

With the medal in hand before her final descent, Zoe took her last run pressure-free, improving her score to 92.50 — just shy of silver.

“It felt so good to put down two runs, and the cherry on top is getting on the Olympic podium,” she said.

Competing Against the Best

China’s Eileen Gu took gold with a 94.75, her first at these Games after two silvers, while Li Fanghui claimed silver.

Despite the stiff competition, Zoe’s performance added Great Britain’s fifth medal to their Milan-Cortina haul, equalling their record-best from 2014 and 2018.

It’s also the most successful Winter Olympics for Team GB, highlighted by multiple golds including Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale’s mixed team snowboard cross victory last week.

From Stanford to the Halfpipe

Balancing academia and elite sport, Zoe studies symbolic systems at Stanford University — a blend of cognitive science and computer science.

Understanding how the brain works has helped her tackle fear in action sports.

“The tricks we do are inherently risky,” she explained.

“Learning about the brain has helped me test theories in practice and push my limits.”

On Sunday, she soared more than five meters above the halfpipe lip, facing a near 12-meter drop onto ice.

Her ability to manage that risk stems not just from experience but from an understanding of her own mind.

“It’s in those really hard moments that you show yourself what is possible,” she said.

The Road to Olympic Success

This was Zoe’s second Olympics, having finished ninth in Beijing four years ago.

Coming in as the reigning X Games gold medalist and world champion, she had high expectations.

She qualified top for the final, which had been delayed due to snowfall, and handled the pressure with composure, proving that years of dedication and a scientific approach to her sport had paid off.

What’s Next?

Zoe now joins her sister as a British Winter Olympian medalist, and the family has made history.

Looking forward, she’ll continue competing at the highest level while completing her Stanford studies, balancing the dual demands of elite sport and rigorous academics.

With a Winter Olympics medal already in her collection, the 23-year-old has firmly established herself as a role model for aspiring British skiers.

Summary

Zoe Atkin captured bronze in the halfpipe at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, becoming only the second British skier to win an Olympic medal.

Inspired by her sister Izzy’s 2018 bronze, Zoe’s achievement adds to Team GB’s record-equaling fifth medal at these Games.

Combining elite sport with academic studies at Stanford University, Zoe has mastered both mental and physical challenges, taking her sport to new heights.

Her family witnessed this historic moment, cementing a legacy of Olympic success for the Atkin sisters.