Sochi 2014: the thrills and spills of snowboard cross – in pictures

Snowboard cross takes place on a course made up of various moguls, obstacles, banks, and jumps. After completing their seeding runs, groups of competitors are pitted against one another in a straight race to the finish-line. Today saw the ladies vying for gold Photograph: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Riders sweep around a big left-hander Photograph: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

British born Charlotte Bankes (top), who is competing for France, crashes at high speed in her quarter-final. The gold medallist from 2010, Maelle Ricker, also crashed out in the quarter-finals Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

Two more stricken riders are over-taken in the quarter-finals. Staying upright seems to be harder than it looks in this event Photograph: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic is sporting a rather bizarre painted moustache for good luck – and the 20-year-old has been in stunning form thus far, leaving the field in her wake in all her runs thus far Photograph: JENS BUETTNER/EPA

Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States (right) leads during one of the women's semi-finals. However, Jacobellis – notorious for having blown a certain gold medal in 2006 when she bombed on the final jump when attempting a trick – crashed out ahead of the showpiece event Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

Great Britain's Zoe Gillings (right) also missed out on a place in the final after narrowly finishing fourth in her semi-final Photograph: Jens Buettner/EPA

In the women's final, Samkova (right) unsurpringly leads the field with Alexandra Jekova of Bulgaria and Dominique Maltais of Canada in second and third, respectively, behind her Photograph: Vassil Donev/EPA

Italy's Michela Moioli (top) and Bulgaria's Alexandra Jekova collide into the penultimate jump and Jekova hits the deck. Behind them are France's Chloe Trespeuch (left) and Faye Gulini of the United States Photograph: Sergei Grits/AP

Here's the reverse angle showing Moioli as she tumbles over the drop Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Samkova, out clear in front, crosses the line first to claim victory. Behind her, Maltais claims silver and Trespeuch takes bronze Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images

... meanwhile, Moioli has to be carried off in a stretcher following her fall. It's a worrying sight only a day after Russian freestyle skiier Maria Komissarova broke her back while training on the same course Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

Samkova celebrates wildly on the podium. That moustache certainly brought her some good fortune Photograph: DYLAN MARTINEZ/REUTERS