British star Mia Brookes, 16, becomes snowboarding's youngest world champion after winning slopestyle gold (2024)

Britain's Mia Brookes, 16, has become the youngest world champion in snowboarding history after winning the slopestyle event at the World Championships in Georgia.

Brookes, the first Briton to claim slopestyle gold, finished ahead of two-time defending champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, who also won the event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Brookes was in second place after her first run but then landed the first-ever CAB 1440 double grab in a women's competition - a move named after skateboarder Steve Caballero - to take her score to a winning 91.38.

The teenager told the BBC: "I honestly feel like I'm going to cry. I've never been so happy in my life. I can't even speak, I'm that happy. I was at the top and my coach was just like, 'If you want to win this, just try the 14.'

"I tried 12 in practice and I came round and almost went 14, and I knew it was possible on this jump. I tried it once before but this is the first time I stomped it, so I'm super happy."

GB Snowsport head coach Pat Sharples said on www.gbsnowsport.com: "What Mia's done out here is just next level. We're all so stoked for Mia, her coaches, her parents and the whole team around her."

"We all know Mia's got the talent, but this is her first season on the World Cup circuit and her first World Championships so to land a run like that with all the pressure tells you everything you need to know about her.

Brookes has been snowboarding since she was 18 months old, travelling in her family's motorhome around Europe.

She was scouted by GB Snowsport coaches aged 10, and was selected to the team's development squad the following year.