Makayla Gerken Schofield made British history in the Moguls, securing the nation’s best ever Moguls result at an Olympic Winter Games with her eighth place finish. Qualifying through her first run score from Thursday, Makayla then put down a impressive run in the first final to secure her place in the final 12 and an historic result for her country.
GB team member Makayla Gerken Schofield who finished 8th in the moguls
Her sister Leonie Gerken Schofield finished 27th overall after placing 17th in the second qualification run.
Makayla, aged 22, said: “I don’t really know (how to sum it up). I’m still speechless.
“I can’t really believe it, I don’t know when it’s going to sink in but I think there’s going to be a lot of tears. Top eight is mind-blowing to be honest.
“I definitely felt more confident with each run, which actually feels really good. I had so much fun skiing the course, it’s absolutely stunning. My confidence was just growing and growing and I’m super proud of myself.”
On sister Leonie’s performance, she added: “I saw the smile on her face when she got down and that just made my day; I know she’s proud of herself. “It has been a tough year, so I’m super, super proud of her.”
Makayla enjoyed the Olympic experience and is already looking forward to the next one. she said: “I just can’t wait. I’ve got to improve on some stuff still – I hope to get a higher difficulty in jumps, so I’ll work on that and just have fun with it all.”
Sisters Makayla and Leonie Gerken-Schofield
Leonie, aged 23, said: “I’m so happy, I really wanted to just put my run down after the disappointment of the other day (not finishing in Q1). I’m so proud to have managed my nerves today and to do my run.
“I think I managed it really well, I spoke a lot to my support team – they have been amazing. They helped me stay calm.
“I had a bit of a tummy issue today, I’m not going to go into too much detail but that was something I had to manage.
“I’ve had so many injuries and so many downs. Just to qualify to be here is amazing and to have my sister here with me is a dream come true.”
On Makayla making the final, she added: “Words can’t describe how proud I am of her, we support each other no matter which way it goes.”