Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis Snags First Gold Medal For Team USA At Beijing Winter Olympics

Topline

Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis became the first American athlete to win a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics on Wednesday after she held on to an early lead in the  women’s snowboard cross event, a victory that serves as redemption for the 36-year-old who narrowly missed gold at the 2006 Winter Games after falling just yards before the finish line.

Key Facts

After consistently topping the charts in the preliminary rounds, Jacobellis put on a strong performance in the finals and managed to take an early lead over France’s Chloe Trespeuch.

Jacobellis, who held on to the lead throughout the final race, let out a celebratory scream and put her hand on her heart after crossing the finish line.

With this victory, Jacobellis becomes the oldest snowboarder to win a medal at the Olympics and the oldest American to win gold at the Winter Olympics in any sport, according to ESPN.

Big Number

7. That is the total number of medals Team USA has won at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics so far. With Jacobellis gold medal win, the U.S. now ranks 10th on the medal table which is led by Norway with 4 gold medals.

Key Background

Jacobellis’ victory comes 16 years after she was involved in one of the most infamous blunders in Winter Games history. At the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, the then debutant Jacobellis was coasting towards victory with what appeared to be an insurmountable lead over Switzerland’s Tanja Frieden in the snowboard cross finals. Jacobellis, however, decided to add some flourish to her second-last jump and then slipped and briefly skidded off the track allowing Frieden to take gold. She managed to recover in time to salvage a silver medal, but the event would go on to haunt her for years. Subsequent attempts at Olympic glory also ended in failure with her falling again at the Vancouver Games in 2010 and in her semifinal in Sochi 2014. She would also miss out on a podium spot at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, finishing fourth. Outside of Olympics competition, Jacobellis has been a decorated athlete with 30 world cup wins, 10 gold medals at the X-Games and six world championships. Her Olympic gold medal at Beijing effectively cements her status as one of the greatest female snowboarders of all time.

Further Reading

Lindsey Jacobellis wins snowboardcross for first U.S. gold medal at Beijing Olympics (ESPN)

The Haunting of Lindsey Jacobellis (New York Times)