Winter Olympics 2026: Kirsty Muir misses out on first medal for Team Great Britain

In a final that showcased the power of women’s free skating, Mathilde Grimaud successfully defended her Olympic title by just 0.38 points.

China’s Elaine Gu – arguably a bigger star off the slopes – took silver, but crashed on her final run to allow Grimaud to take a victory lap, a Swiss flag tied around her neck, fluttering in the wind as she absorbed her moment on the course.

Muir is one of Team GB’s best medal hopes at the Milan-Cortina Games, and she has another chance at the podium when she competes in the big air from Saturday.

Four years ago in Beijing, Scotland’s Muir was the youngest competitor on Team GB at 17, but finished fifth in the big air and eighth in the downhill.

Beijing Muir had made three World Cup podium finishes, but in December 2023, an MRI scan showed she was competing with a complete tear of her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

This was followed by surgery in early 2024, as well as surgery for a shoulder problem that had been bothering her for some time.

Eleven months later, she was back on the ice, and her first World Cup gold came to Tignes in March 2025.

Two more followed this season, plus a big gold and silver medal at the invitation-only X Games on the eve of the Olympics.

“I’ll be looking forward to the big air, but I just need to take it in,” Muir said.

“I got to see my family. They were hugging me so tight – I was feeling a little claustrophobic. They’re proud of me no matter what, so I can let go of that.”