Catalan snowboarder loses out on Olympic glory

Hopes were high for the Catalan snowboarder, Queralt Castellet, when she made it through to the Winter Olympics halfpipe final, coming in fifth in the qualification round. But she was up against tough competition, and in the end her dreams of glory were dashed as she fell short of a place on the podium. Unfortunately for her, she scored better in the previous round. 

Although Castellet, one of three Catalans taking part in the games, won’t becoming home with a medal hanging from her neck, she did finish in seventh place earning her the honour of an Olympic diploma, the certificate given to the top eight finishers.

The 26 year old competed in her first Olympic games back in 2006 where she finished in 26th place. She has taken part in all other Winter Olympics games since then, but will have to wait another four years for another chance at a medal. Each time she does a little better, however, and this year saw her best performance ever in the Olympics.

Two Catalans remain in Pyeongchang. The skier Quim Salarich is making his highly anticipated Winter Olympics debut in the Alpine skiing category on February 22. The twenty-four-year-old called it “a dream fulfilled” via his Twitter account.

He is joined by Ander Mirambell who is competing in the skeleton category, where participants ride head first, lying down on a flat sled downhill at breakneck speeds. Mirambell was the first Catalan to take part in this discipline in the 2010 games.