U.S. snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis & Nick Baumgartner make history at Beijing
BEIJING — U.S. snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) and Nick Baumgartner (USA) made history after they won gold in the mixed team snowboardcross event in Beijing.
They were the first ever mixed-team snowboard cross competition held at any Winter Games. Their win is made even more special by their age — Jacobellis, 36, and Baumgartner, 40 respectively (older than other snowboarders competing at the level),
Baumgartner spoke simply of their age, “We embrace it.” We are who we are.
Jacobellis won this second gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
She was the oldest American woman to win the gold medal at the Winter Games in Beijing. She now adds another.
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THE 2022 WINTER OLLYMPICS
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She is the second Olympian to win two gold medals in snowboard at the Olympic Winter Games. Vic Wild, an American snowboarder, is also part of this record. Wild won the parallel giant and men’s parallels slalom events in Russia at the 2014 Sochi Games.
This win gives Baumgartner his first gold ever — making him the oldest snowboarder to win a medal of any hue at an Olympic Winter Games, according to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.Baumgartner has been chasing a medal in snowboard cross events since his first appearance at a Winter Games in 2010 in Vancouver. He was fourth in the men’s snowboard cross event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Baumgartner won the lead against two Canadian teams, leaving Jacobellis with a 0.04 second advantage.
Omar Visintin of Italy and Michela Moioli of Italy were 0.20 seconds behind her, winning the wave. She claimed silver. After 23.43 seconds, Eliot Grondin of Canada and Meryeta Ovine of Canada won bronze.
On Saturday, it snowed in Zhangjiakou. The course was affected by the fresh snow that was layered on top artificial snow. Jacobellis said Baumgartner and Baumgartner made the most of their decades of experience. Jacobellis stated, “I tried to recall my X Games days and jump hard on every jump to make it landing and use draft whenever possible.” “I am comfortable riding very close to other riders and trying to emulate their speed.
Baumgartner stated that pushing too close to other riders could scare a younger competitor.
He said, “That’s one of the things about being veterans… we have so many heats under us that we have to ride so closely to people and in conditions such as this, the draft can be so important and you must be able to keep in it until the absolute last second.” We’ve done it many times before so that doesn’t worry us.
