Zoe Gilling’s, Britain’s number one Olympic snowboard athlete and now world number five, yesterday reached her third World Cup final of the season in Blue Mountain, Canada, finishing in a remarkable fifth place.
So far this season, Zoe has finished tenth, seveth, fourth, sixth and fifth in her World Cup and X Games competitions and despite not yet finishing on the podium, this is proving to be one of the most consistent and successful seasons of her career to date, reinforcing her position as one of the worlds best snowboard cross athletes.
Zoe commented after the race yesterday, “I’m obviously disappointed I didn’t podium but if you had asked me at the beginning of the season if I would have been happy with these results so far, I’d be ecstatic.
“The Olympics are only two years away but my program and results are on course for an Olympic medal.”
Zoe currently runs her own World Cup snowboard cross program funded nearly entirely from her personal sponsors, Pokerstars, Neteller, BMW and Isle of Man Sports Aid.
Zoe also receives support from Dare2B, Isle of Man Steam Packet, the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) and most recently has received support from her new governing body, British Ski and Snowboard.
“Im absolutely stoked, eleven months ago my World Class funding ended and I didn’t know what to do. I had nothing and no where to turn.
“Literally overnight I came up with a plan and turned entrepreneur launching my own business, which is now the largest daily deals site in the Isle of Man, I secured the continuing support of my awesome sponsors, I negotiated a deal with the Dutch Snowbaord Cross Team to allow me to train with them and now I’m back on course for an Olympic medal – all this while running my business on a day to day basis.”
At only 26 years of age Zoe Gillings is a remarkable World Class Olympic athlete and the perfect role model. Despite these unbelievable results so far this season, Zoe is about to employ her first full time employee in the Isle of Man working for IsleofDeals.com and about to launch a brand new business - ZGCityDeals.com, in both England and San Francisco.
Zoe now heads to Stoneham, Canada, for the next round of the World Cup season that beings on the 21 February.
Watch Zoe’s head-footage of the competition: www.bbc.co.uk/sport
Lizzie Flint, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
