Atkin takes Silver in Secret Garden

Halfpipe World Champion impresses on return to competition amid challenging conditions

Zoe Atkin took silver in her first competition of the season at the Secret Garden Freeski Halfpipe World Cup.

Having missed last week’s Snow League contest with illness, Zoe made a triumphant return to competition in the Chinese resort of Secret Garden to record her eleventh career World Cup podium. The contest was dominated by Atkin and her Chinese compatriot Eileen Gu, with the pair finishing in the top-2 in both qualifiers and Finals.

A first run score of 90.25 had Atkin sitting in top spot at the midway point of the Finals competition, which took place under tricky weather conditions, before Gu delivered a standout second run to ultimately seize victory by 1.50 points. The result continues an outstanding run of form for 22-year-old Atkin, which has seen her finish on the podium in each of her last four World Cup contests, as well as at the World Freestyle Championships in March, where she was crowned World Champion.