Winter Olympics 2022 - Katie Ormerod 'riding well' after injury heartbreak in Pyeongchang, says Billy Morgan
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Updated 03/02/2022 at 14:41 GMT
"But it looks like she’s riding really well, a very consistent snowboarder. She’s been riding quite well in the run up and hopefully we’ll see good things" - Former Team GB superstar and bronze medallist Billy Morgan backs Katie Ormerod to bounce back from her injury heartbreak in Pyeongchang, and praises the the athletes in Beijing for doing their best amid another Olympics hit by Covid-19
Great Britain's Katie Ormerod
Image credit: Getty Images
Former snowboarding superstar Billy Morgan says Team GB medal hopeful Katie Ormerod is 'riding well' ahead of another shot at Olympic glory.
Ormerod was tipped for medals ahead of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics but was forced with withdraw from the games after breaking her heel in training.
But Morgan, who won Bronze for Team GB at the big air event in 2018, believes Katie has the consistency to compete.
"Anything can happen on the day, that’s what makes it so interesting," he said.
"There’s a bit of extra pressure on Katie because she was looking so strong coming into her last Games and then she had that unfortunate heel explosion.
"But it looks like she’s riding really well, a very consistent snowboarder. She’s been riding quite well in the run up and hopefully we’ll see good things."
The Games have already suffered a plague of uncertainty in the build-up due to a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases in China and, as expected, the virus has already been a disruptive force in the Olympic village with Norwegian Biathlon star Johannes Thingnes Boe a concern, while Japan's speed skating coach tested positive.
And Morgan thinks the athletes have done tremendously well to cope with the extra difficulties caused by the virus as well as the immense pressure they are already under to perform their best,
"There’s so much pressure that goes into the Olympics," he added.
"We have a lot of events but the Olympics is once every four years, you do everything you can to be in the right moment to go and compete at the Games. With Covid as well, I don’t know what these guys are going through, stress is tough enough on its own, and they’ve got all this madness on top of it. But it sounds like they’re dealing with it really well.
"Some of the guys say it’s a bit weird there’s not loads of people around the events, the numbers are limited, but they’re doing everything they can do to make it as normal as possible."
And the familiar faces and favourites make this games as competitive as ever, with American snowboarder Chloe Kim among the favourites for glory.
She already has a halfpipe gold to her name and Morgan says she will be the woman to beat in snowboarding.
"She’s an incredible athlete," said Morgan. "Leading the charge, so far ahead of the game for so long. Something must be happening there, she must have a good head on her - it’s not an easy thing to do.
"She’s a good image for snowboarding as well, she makes it look good. THe Olympics is all about inspiring other people to get into sport and she definitely does that."
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