Beijing Round-Up – Day 2: Olympian Ormerod & proud debut For Feneley

Day 2 of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games saw Katie Ormerod make her long-awaited debut as an Olympian, while Will Feneley came in 27th in the moguls on his Olympic debut

Pride for Ormerod on Olympic Debut

Four years after injury wrecked her prospects of an Olympic debut in PyeongChang, Katie Ormerod finally became an Olympian as she stepped out at the top of the Genting Snow Park Snowboard Slopestyle course a little after 2:45am UK time. With the top-12 qualifiers progressing to tomorrow’s Final, Ormerod’s score of 47.38 was only enough to see her finish in 18th place, in a qualifying round dominated by New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.

Ormerod, who will have another shot at Olympic glory in the Big Air competition later in the Games programme, told the BBC “It feels amazing to be able to call myself an Olympian.”

“I’ve been waiting years to finally say that,” she continued, “to drop in and compete at an Olympics. It feels really special.”

Having been set to compete at the PyeongChang Games in 2018, Ormerod’s hopes of becoming an Olympian were ruined by a broken heel that threatened to derail her entire career. Her return to the highest levels of competition is one of the team’s success stories, with her Olympic debut a richly-deserved reward for her hard work and dedication over the past four years.

Katie Ormerod for Team GB during slopestyle qualification at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on the 5th February 2022 at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjakou, China. Photo by Sam Mellish / Team GB.

Feneley’s debut points to bright future

Will Feneley‘s Olympic debut ended at the qualification stages in the Men’s Moguls competition, completing solid runs in both qualification rounds but ending up a little outside of the Finals qualification spots.

Feneley, who only made his World Cup debut in 2019, ended up in 27th position with a first-round score of 70.23, marking a proud Olympic debut for one of Britain’s most exciting young Moguls talents.

Will Feneley for Team GB during the Men’s Moguls training session at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on the 31st January 2022 at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjajou in China. Photo by Sam Mellish / Team GB.

Ryding flies the flag

Yesterday’s Opening Ceremony saw Alpine legend Dave Ryding lead Team GB as Flagbearer alongside Curler Eve Muirhead, with both Olympians notching their fourth Games appearance in Beijing. Joined by the majority of the 50-strong British contingent, Ryding and Muirhead’s role as joint-flagbearers was confirmed by Team GB on Thursday evening, and marks a fitting tribute to their longstanding contribution to British Winter Olympic sport.

Alpine skier, Dave Ryding & Skip of the women’s curling team, Eve Muirhead, lead Team GB during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony on the 4th February 2022 at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China. Photo by Sam Mellish / Team GB.