Big welcome home for Olympic star

• She placed top 10 in her competitions
• More events to come

After giving it her all at the Beijing Winter Olympics, snowboarder Tess Critchlow was met with a heroes’ welcome at YLW.

As she came down the arrival ramp, a crowd of friends and family applauded her, holding signs and small Canadian flags. Many hugs were shared, and she was gifted several bouquets of flowers.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all. This is amazing … I’m overwhelmed right now,” Critchlow told Kelowna10.

Her journey home was a long one. From Beijing, she had a layover in Singapore before embarking on a 14-hour flight to Vancouver. Then she finally boarded a flight to Kelowna. She said she slept for most of it.

Critchlow initially had a slow start in the women’s snowboard cross competition last week, finishing 26 out of 32 in the seeding event. But her performance would improve in drastic fashion.

In the quarterfinals, she had a thrilling come-from-behind victory. She was trailing at the back of the pack before gaining speed and finishing first ahead of some very experienced racers.

She would end up with a top 10 finish in her category, placing sixth.

She also competed in the mixed team snowboard cross with Liam Moffatt. They placed 9th.

This is her second Olympic appearance after she competed in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018.

Reminiscing about her most recent Olympic experience she said it was good, overwhelming, and that it hasn’t really settled in yet.

“I think race day, for sure, is going to stay with me forever and ever,” Critchlow said. “It was really fun and the whole team was super supportive.”

Tess grew up with her family at Big White. She fondly remembered chasing her brother through the trees, racing him to the bottom. That background and experience proved valuable for the Olympics.

While she’s home, the Beijing Winter games continue until Sunday Feb. 20. She’s now looking forward to spending time with family and catching up on rest, but her season isn’t over.

Her competitive focus now shifts to two more World Cup events in the weeks to come.