Snowboarding: Briton Charlotte Bankes takes second in World Cup in China

World champion Charlotte Bankes finished second in the snowboard cross at the World Cup in China, as preparations are stepped up for next year’s Winter Olympics. The Briton finished behind 2014 Olympic gold medallist Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic, with current Olympic champion Michela Moioli of Italy in third. Austrian Pia Zerkhold led early on, but fell away in the four-way race. Bankes also found herself at the front, but Samkova took victory in the end. “I am tired, really tired,” said Samkova, who also won bronze at the 2018 Olympics. “The course is really long and you have…