Annika Belshaw admitted that her stint at the Winter Olympics evoked “all of the emotions” after the Team USA ski jumper was harshly disqualified from one of her events. This year’s Games have been rife with controversy, with the Swedish men’s curling team accusing their Canadian counterparts of “double touching” during their match last Friday – sparking a heated exchange between Oskar Eriksson and Marc Kennedy.

Canadian skipper Brad Jacobs faced renewed accusations of cheating after allegedly repeating the same violation against the Czech Republic, with the Canadian women’s team also being penalised for the illegal move. Meanwhile in Milan, Belshaw was disqualified from the final in the women’s large hill individual event after an inspection revealed her ski length exceeded the legal limit by just one centimetre.

Prior to her disqualification from the final at Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium, Belshaw had successfully progressed by scoring 98.5 on her first jump.

As per the official Olympic rulebook, a jumper’s skis cannot exceed 145 per cent of the athlete’s height, based on a minimum BMI of 21 for both men and women. In many instances, competitors inadvertently breach the rules by losing weight during earlier events in the week.

Taking to social media on Tuesday, Belshaw posted a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs with team-mates in the Olympic village and at competitions.

She wrote: “These past two weeks have brought all of the emotions and a lifetime of experiences.

“Grateful for my teammates, coaches, family, and friends who make the good days great and the hard days easier. None of this would be possible without them.”

Just two days earlier, Belshaw had conveyed her enthusiasm about taking part in the women’s large hill individual event.

“Tonight we go for the big one,” she wrote beneath an Instagram collage featuring images of her competing as a youngster.

“Super special to be able to compete in the first Olympic big hill event for the women. Feeling so much gratitude and jumping for this little girl tonight.”

Belshaw is not the only skier to suffer an equipment disqualification. Earlier in the Games, Austrian athlete Daniel Tschofenig was prevented from competing in the final of the men’s large hill individual event owing to a boot size violation.

“I used new shoes in training, which, by the way, I wasn’t very happy with, but I kept them,” Tschofenig told AFP.

“Unfortunately, I was naive and didn’t check the sizes. That was incredibly stupid of me.”

Whilst Belshaw’s stint in Milan didn’t conclude as she would have hoped, the 23-year-old nonetheless conveyed her appreciation for the unique experience.

“One of the best parts about the Olympics so far is the love and support from my friends and family from home,” she penned.

“My day one best friend and her entire family showed up, along with pretty much my entire family and some friends. So incredibly grateful for those who travelled and those who watched from home that cheered me on.”