Beijing 2022 marks Lindsey Jacobellis's fifth Winter Olympics, and on Feb. 9, she clinched snowboard cross [1] Olympic gold for the very first time. It was also Team USA's first gold at these Beijing Games, and NBC Sports's On Her Turf reports [2] that, at 36, she's now the oldest American woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics [3].
Jacobellis came into the Beijing Games as the most decorated athlete in her sport [4]. She was en route to claim gold at her debut Olympic final in Torino 2006, only to finish second after attempting a celebratory grab [5] and falling off course. Other Olympics ensued, though she did not medal: she landed fifth in Vancouver 2010 [6], seventh in Sochi 2014, and near-podium fourth in Pyeongchang 2018.
"That was not in my mind," Jacobellis said following her victory, according to ESPN [7]. "I wanted to just come here and compete. [Winning] would have been a nice, sweet thing, but I think if I had tried to spend time on the thought of redemption, then it's taking away focus on the task at hand, and that's not why I race." She added, "This feels incredible because this level that all the women are riding at is a lot higher than it was 16 years ago."
GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS GOLD!@LindsJacobellis [8] x #WinterOlympics [9] pic.twitter.com/eqxHURS9OY [10]
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 9, 2022 [11]
France's Chloé Trespeuch finished after Jacobellis to claim silver, and Meryeta O'Dine, from Canada, took home bronze. Ahead, check out some memorable photos from Jacobellis's gold-medal moment.
Lindsey Jacobellis Wins Beijing Olympic Gold in Women's Snowboard Cross
