Bardonecchia, Italy – The gold medal win streak by U.S. snowboarders at the Olympics came crashing to a halt – literally – today, as American snowboardcross racer Lindsey Jacobellis careened off course and blew a seemingly insurmountable lead less than 100 feet from the finish, forcing her to settle for silver.
Riding alone and well ahead of the pack with victory appearing secure, Jacobellis crash-landed an otherwise stylish “method air” jump – grabbing the backside edge of her board and tossing in a flashy tweak as the crowd at the finish arena came into view from the second-to-last kicker. As the reigning world champion caught her edge and fell on her back, Tanja Frieden of Switzerland snatched the Olympic gold from her grasp. Canadian Dominique Maltais was third.
“I think we all learned in other races that it’s never finished until it’s finished,” Frieden said. “What finally happens in the heat can be anything. I don’t feel sad or bad about it. One day it’s me; one day it’s her.”
Jacobellis’ claim that the board grab was necessary to stabilize her snowboard off the jump stirred a one-sided debate among onlookers gathered in the finish arena, many of whom considered the move showboating. Although her jumps included frontside grabs on occasion throughout the day, this was the only time in five races that Jacobellis went for the more flamboyant backside grab. The disastrous result caused U.S. coach Peter Foley to fall to the ground in disbelief.
“Sometimes it’s subconscious, but that was putting on a show,” said Seth Wescott, who followed the gold medal halfpipe performances of Shaun White and Hannah Teter with a victory in men’s snowboardcross the day before. “It’s one of those things. I did it in my early rides yesterday (Thursday) but you’ve got to choose your time and make sure you don’t miss.”
The miss cost the U.S. its fourth consecutive gold medal in Olympic snowboarding competition and Jacobellis the opportunity to go down in history as the first winner in women’s snowboardcross competition, which made its Olympic debut this year.
“Coming it, it really had nothing to do with how well the U.S. riders were doing,” Jacobellis said. “I just wanted to have a great experience and something to always remember.”
Staff Writer Scott Willoughby can be reached at 303-820-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com
