Youngest snowboarding world champion Mia Brookes, 16, says Metallica helped her to victory
She listens to her favourite band before taking to the slopes
Last updated 28th Feb 2023
Great Britain’s Mia Brookes, who made history yesterday (27th February) when she became the youngest snowboarding world champion in history, has credited Metallica with inspiring her to victory.
The 16-year-old snowboarding prodigy from Cheshire, who was too young to compete at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics last year, beat double defending champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott to slopestyle gold in Bakuriani, Georgia on Monday.
As if the wasn’t impressive enough, Brookes also became the first ever woman to land a Cab 1440 double grab in a competition – that’s four full rotations in a snowboard jump.
Speaking to the BBC after becoming world champion, keen heavy metal aficionado Brookes said that, as usual, she listened to her favourite band Metallica before taking to the slopes.
"Listening to Metallica gets me hyped up and wanting to land all my tricks," Brookes said.
"(Metallica’s music) gets me in that mindset in the mornings. If I'm standing at the top of a slope, it helps me visualise when I'm going to drop in.
"I definitely feel like I'm an adrenaline junkie. I used to do a bit of motocross when I was younger, and I like going fast on my snowboard!"
In a separate interview with Olympics.com, Brookes was asked if she has a favourite mantra or saying to live by. She replied: “I don't, I just get up in the morning and listen to Metallica and go snowboarding. That's about it!”
Watch Mia Brookes become the youngest snowboarding world champion:
Commenting on whether there were any nerves ahead of the competition, Brookes said: “Obviously I get a little nervous, but not that much.
“I just know that if I've landed the run in practice, and that I’ve already done enough to finish on the podium, I know that everything will be alright and I've just got to trust myself and believe in myself. I could feel it was going to happen.
“Hanging out with the other athletes who are also my friends up there and listening to my music also helped me get ready for the run.”
Metallica headline the 20th anniversary of Download Festival in June 2023 where they will play two completely different sets on the Thursday and Saturday nights.
Also boasting performances from Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon, Ghost, Alter Bridge, Halestorm, Clutch, Mammoth WVH, The HU and loads more, tickets to Download Festival are on sale from Planet Rock Tickets now.
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70) Thin Lizzy – ‘Emerald’ (1976)
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69) Rush - ‘2112’ (1976)
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68) Pink Floyd - ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975)
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67) Pink Floyd – ‘Time’ (1973)
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66) Led Zeppelin – ‘When The Levee Breaks’ (1971)
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65) Led Zeppelin – ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ (1970)
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64) Journey – ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ (1981)
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63) Def Leppard – ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ (1987)
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62) Van Halen – ‘Jump’ (1983)
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61) UFO – ‘Rock Bottom’ (1974)
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60) The Cult – ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ (1985)
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59) Rush – ‘Xanadu’ (1977)
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58) Jimi Hendrix – ‘Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)’ (1968)
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57) Aerosmith – ‘Dream On’ (1973)
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56) UFO – ‘Love To Love’ (1977)
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55) Black Sabbath – ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)
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54) AC/DC – ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’ (1981)
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53) Thin Lizzy – ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ (1976)
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52) UFO – ‘Doctor Doctor’ (1974)
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51) Iron Maiden – ‘Fear of the Dark’ (1992)
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50) Boston – ‘More Than A Feeling’ (1976)
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49) Blue Öyster Cult – ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’ (1976)
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48) AC/DC – ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ (1980)
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47) Iron Maiden – ‘Run to the Hills’ (1982)
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46) Gun N’ Roses – ‘November Rain’ (1991)
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45) Pink Floyd – ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (1975)
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44) Gun N’ Roses – ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ (1987)
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43) Rush – ‘Tom Sawyer’ (1981)
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42) Metallica – ‘One’ (1988)
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41) Metallica – ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986)
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40) Jimi Hendrix – ‘All Along the Watchtower’ (1968)
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39) Gun N’ Roses – ‘Paradise City’ (1987)
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38) The Rolling Stones – ‘Gimme Shelter’ (1969)
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37) Deep Purple – ‘Burn’ (1974)
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36) Bruce Springsteen – ‘Born To Run’ (1975)
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35) Foo Fighters – ‘Everlong’ (1997)
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34) Metallica – ‘Nothing Else Matters’ (1991)
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33) Eagles – ‘Hotel California’ (1976)
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32) Deep Purple – ‘Highway Star’ (1972)
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31) Black Sabbath – ‘Heaven and Hell’ (1980)
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30) Iron Maiden – ‘The Number of the Beast’ (1982)
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29) Tenacious D – ‘Tribute’ (2002)
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27) Bon Jovi – ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ (1986)
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17) Led Zeppelin – ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (1969)
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13) Gun N’ Roses – ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ (1987)
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12) Iron Maiden – ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ (1982)
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11) Deep Purple – ‘Smoke on the Water’ (1972)
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10) Meat Loaf – ‘Bat Out of Hell’ (1977)
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7) Alter Bridge - ‘Blackbird’ (2007)
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6) Led Zeppelin – ‘Kashmir’ (1975)
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5) Pink Floyd - ‘Comfortably Numb’ (1979)
David Gilmour's transcendental playing on Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb' was voted the Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time by Planet Rock listeners in 2019, and the song itself is rightfully in the upper echelons of our Greatest Rock Songs poll at Number 5. Penned by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, 'Comfortably Numb' is one of the defining moments of their songwriting partnership, yet such was the friction between the two during the recording process that Gilmour later noted it represents "the last embers of mine and Roger's ability to work collaboratively together." Poignantly, 'Comfortably Numb' was the last song Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and the late-great Richard Wright performed together at Live Aid in 2005.
4) Lynyrd Skynyrd – ‘Free Bird’ (1973)
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3) Rainbow – ‘Stargazer’ (1976)
The standout song from Rainbow's seminal 'Rising' album, 'Stargazer' sees the inimitable, late-great Ronnie James Dio narrate the ominous story of a wizard whose attempt to fly by constructing a tower to the stars leads to the enslavement of countless people. A musically complex, powerful and majestic heavy metal tour-de-force, 'Stargazer' flaunts the imperious talents of the respective Rainbow band members, from Dio's astonishing pipes to Cozy Powell's titanic drums to Ritchie Blackmore's mercurial guitar playing. Nothing short of a masterpiece.
2) Led Zeppelin – ‘Stairway To Heaven’ (1971)
Number 2 on our Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs poll in September 2018 to mark the band's 50th anniversary, 'Stairway To Heaven' is also at No.2 in our Greatest Rock Song poll. Clocking in at just over eight minutes, every second of 'Stairway To Heaven' is iconic; from the opening, Renaissance-tinged finger-picked guitars and recorders to Jimmy Page's legendary solo and right through to Robert Plant's ultimate, plaintive "and she's buying the stairway to heaven" refrain. A true timeless classic that will be listened to in centuries to come.
1) Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (1975)
Having previously finished at No.2 in our previous Greatest Rock Song poll a decade ago, Queen's timeless and ubiquitous rock epic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has climbed to Number 1 in 2022. Multi-layered and ambitious in musical scope, the Freddie Mercury penned 'Bohemian Rhapsody' has topped the charts twice in the UK and has been introduced to new generations of fans via 1992's Wayne's World and the 2018 Queen biopic of the same name, Bohemian Rhapsody.