A magical week for British snowsports continued yesterday in the US, as GB Park and Pipe’s James ‘Woodsy’ Woods (25, Sheffield) claimed a gold medal in Ski Big Air at the X Games in Aspen. In the world’s biggest freeskiing and snowboarding competition, Woodsy stepped up his skiing to another level to take the win last night.
It takes Team GB’s snowsports medal tally to five this week – believed to be the most successful week in British snowsports history.
Woodsy’s win is our second gold following Millie Knight and her Guide Brett Wild taking gold at the Para-Alpine World Championships in Tarvisio on Wednesday. Other medals include Dave Ryding’s remarkable silver in the Hahnenkamm Slalom in Kitzbuhel last Sunday and Jamie Nicholls also taking silver in the World Cup Slopestyle in Seiseralm, Italy on Friday.
Woodsy’s gold medal followed his 4th place in Ski Slopestyle earlier in the day, where a small mistake on one of the rails costs him the win. An X Games gold has been one of Woodsy’s goals for a long time, after taking bronze in X Games Ski Slopestyle back in 2013.
Woodsy’s win followed a bronze medal for in-form Katie Ormerod (19, Brighouse) in the X Games Snowboard Slopestyle yesterday. Another huge result for Ormerod followed her 5th place in the Big Air on Thursday.
Ormerod said after her medal: “I’m super happy to get my 1st X Games medal!! It’s always been on my bucket list to medal here so I couldn’t be happier! Especially to medal in the most high profile event of the season in such a tough and progressive field of riders.”