“Britain just dominated the slopestyle”.

Of course, this is not strictly true. Any rational observer would see that Norway’s silver in the men’s, Finland’s in the women’s, and a gold medal in each for the USA left all with more marked progression up the leader board.

But in the obscured eyes of the British public, the BBC commentary team were right to highlight the significance of this achievement, as Jenny Jones secured Britain’s first ever Winter Olympics medal on snow.

The 33-year old was the oldest competitor to make it to the final, after delaying her retirement from the sport to fulfil an Olympic dream.

Holding the gold medal position after her second run, it was up to the remaining runner – of whom there were 13 – to knock her off the top, but not out of the medals.

The achievement comes just one day after Jamie Nicholls’ superb run in the men’s competition, where he put down a backside triple – a trick he had never previously performed. Nicholls’ run was only good enough for sixth in the eyes of the judges, who have been especially critical of the cleanness and creativity of moves over ambition.

This played into the hands of the experience Jones who, while carrying slightly fewer tricks than her rivals, had the experience, composure and finesse to impress the judges.

The slope itself has been especially slippery in Sochi, punishing those who attempt some of the bigger moves while sacrificing the finish.

As Jones gets Britain off the mark in Sochi, the surprise medal will only act to spur on our more likely podium hopefuls.

Jamie Kirby

Image courtesy of the Telegraph