Sixth place finish for local Olympian

• No medal, but strong showing for Critchlow
• Thrilling performance in quarterfinals
• She returns to action this weekend

Audiences watching Big White’s Tess Critchlow compete in the Winter Olympics in Beijing Tuesday night were likely on the edge of their seats.

After thrilling action, and upsetting the odds during competition, she ended up with a top 10 finish in Women’s Snowboard Cross.

It was a rocky start for Critchlow, finishing 26 out of 32 athletes in the initial seeding portion to determine her position in the coming events.

In the 1/8 finals, she came second, which qualified her to move on.

Then came the quarterfinals, which saw her compete against some big guns: former world champion Charlotte Banks of Great Britain, Faye Gulini of the U.S., and Belle Brockoff from Australia.

Commentators described Tess as a "dark horse, with the talent to do something big," before the race began. After a slow start she pulled things back with an incredible sharp inside turn late in the race to overtake her three challengers and take the top spot by inches.

Her supporters shared social media footage of their reactions to the nail-biting race.

But that was the end of the glorious run.

Critchlow placed third in her heat during the semifinals, meaning she was eliminated. That gave her a sixth-place finish.

Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States won the gold medal.

Fans eager to catch Critchlow again need only wait until this weekend where she gears up for the Mixed Team Snowboard Cross event.

The event starts Saturday in Beijing at 10 a.m. local time, or 6 p.m. PST on Friday.