Zhangjiakou, China — Lindsey Jacobellis captured the USA' first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday, driving exhausting to the road in her snowboardcross closing a full 16 years after showboating close to the end value her the title.
The 36-year-old racer was competing in her fifth Olympics and captured the primary U.S. win of what has been an in any other case dismal Video games for the pink, white and blue.
The victory got here after America's high racer, skier Mikaela Shiffrin, skidded out and failed to complete the primary run of the slalom, making her 0-for-2 in Beijing.
Up till Wednesday, Jacobellis was greatest identified for taking a large lead into the ultimate soar on the 2006 Turin Video games however pulling on her board in a showboat transfer as she highway over the crest, then falling and settling for silver.
This time, she highway exhausting all the best way to the road, beating Chloe Trespeuch of France, then overlaying her coronary heart along with her palms as she slowed.
On the post-race ceremony, she obtained one of many treasured Bing Dwen Dwen stuffed animals, lifted it over her head and simply stood there and beamed. Meryeta Odine of Canada gained the bronze.
"They'll hold speaking about all of it they need," Jacobellis stated. "As a result of it actually formed me into the person who I'm. It stored me hungry and actually stored me preventing on this sport."
"That (2006) is a really well-known story in snowboardcross and to see her come residence with the gold -- it is actually actually cool to see," O'Dine stated, in line with the Reuters information service.
That the primary U.S. gold would come from Jacobellis and never Shriffin or another person within the motion park - say slopestylers Jamie Anderson or Pink Gerard - was shocking. That Jacobellis would put herself within the win column in any case these years wasn't a shock in any respect.
Lengthy after the embarrassment and dismay of her "Lindsey Leap" in 2006, Jacobellis stored on driving, and profitable. Since 2007, she's amassed 45 World Cup podiums. Twenty-three of them have been golds, and she or he had two third-place finishes coming into the Video games.
"This feels unimaginable as a result of the extent that every one the ladies are driving at right now is a lot greater than it was 16 years in the past," Jacobellis stated.
However that silver-medal Olympic efficiency has adopted her, and she or he's largely chosen to remain out of the highlight.
At a media alternative with all of the snowboardcross riders final week, Jacobellis stayed again to focus on racing, her coach stated.
And whereas Shaun White and Chloe Kim cannot take two steps round this snowboard park with out getting observed, Jacobellis walked alone with a member of the U.S. employees a number of hours earlier than her closing. No person even observed.
"It would not outline you," she stated when requested what message she'd ship to youthful racers about errors of the previous. "Particularly for those who've made it to this stage, you are a winner. And take a look at what you have realized from the expertise, and take that with you later in life."
___