On Saturday in Beijing, snowboardcross legend Lindsey Jacobellis won another gold — this time in the new event of mixed snowboardcross with teammate Nick Baumgartner. Jacobellis, at 36 was already the oldest American woman to win Olympic gold when she won it three days ago, while Baumgartner, 40, becomes the first snowboarder to win an Olympic medal in his 40s.
Winter Olympics schedule | Medal tracker
In men’s hockey, the U.S. bested Canada in the preliminary round — the first time Team USA has beaten the neighbors to the north since the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010.
We have live updates from the action here:
The oldest team in the race wins it all
Three days after winning her first Olympic gold, American Lindsey Jacobellis became the first woman snowboarder to win two gold medals in the same Games when she and teammate Nick Baumgartner, 40, won the debut of mixed team snowboardcross. And since she’s 72 hours older than she was on Wednesday, Jacobellis, 36, eclipsed her previous record as the oldest American woman to win Olympic gold.
Talk about a redemption tour for Jacobellis and Baumgartner, the two oldest snowboarders competing in Beijing and the oldest pair racing Saturday at Genting Snow Park. With his gold, Baumgartner became the first snowboarder to win an Olympic medal in his 40s. It’s also safe to say he is the only snowboard medalist with a 17-year-old son nearly the same age as some of his competitors.
Baumgarter’s win comes in his fourth Olympics and two days after he finished in 10th place after being eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the men’s race. In his post-run TV interview, Baumgartner broke down in tears, saying he felt he had let his supporters down by failing to medal once again. At the time, he didn’t know he would race the mixed team event with Jacobellis. He says coaches informed him on Friday that he would have one more chance at a medal.
As heavy snow blanketed the course throughout the morning, Baumgartner and Jacobellis were calculated and precise, their experience their greatest asset on a course that changed between each heat.
HISTORIC GOLD for @TeamUSA!@LindsJacobellis and Nick Baumgartner win gold in the first-ever Olympic mixed team snowboard cross! #WinterOlympics | #WatchWithUS
? : @nbc and @peacockTV
? : https://t.co/PXMUVgJZ8P pic.twitter.com/aRsLjp7pDG— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2022
In the final, Baumgartner made an incredible pass over a jump toward the middle of the course to take the lead and give Jacobellis a slight edge heading into her race. “Woah!” he yelled as he crossed the line. “Yeah! Let’s get this!”
Jacobellis was once again brilliant in her final. But as much fun as it was to watch her race, it was equally entertaining to watch Baumgarter narrate Jacobellis’ race. When she crossed the finish line in a tight crouch, her signature blonde braid flying behind her, Baumgartner screamed and ran to his teammate.
“Oh my god, that was beautiful,” he said, and then hugged Jacobellis. “Another gold medal for you.”
Few other people in the world understand what the past 16 years has been like for each of them.
“The greatest in the world walks away with two gold medals now,” two-time gold medalist Seth Wescott said on the broadcast. ” And Baum gets his gold.”
Jacobellis’ three medals (two gold, one silver) in snowboarding tie Shaun White, Jamie Anderson and six others for the most snowboarding medals by any Olympian. — Alyssa Roenigk
U.S. beats an old foe in men’s hockey
Team USA defeated Canada 4-2 in their Beijing Olympic men’s ice hockey preliminary round showdown, outskating their archrivals and preying on Canadian mistakes.
Captain Andy Miele had a goal and an assist while goalie Strauss Mann made 35 saves for the U.S. (2-0-0), which took over first place in Group A ahead of Canada (1-1-0).
Spotted: @shaunwhite and the women’s team in the stands for the men of @usahockey. ??#WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/ozdsRJVQ1C
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 12, 2022
“Having a win like that will give us confidence going forward. We feel really good about that effort,” forward Brian O’Neill said.
It was statement win for the Americans. While Canada brought a veteran-laden team to Beijing — its captain Eric Staal is a 17-year NHL veteran — the U.S. roster is comprised primarily of NCAA players. Read more, from Greg Wyshynski, here.
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2022
With friends like these, retirement doesn’t sound half bad
Shaun White’s final Olympic run was yesterday — and Tony Hawk, Lindsey Vonn and Kelly Clark were there for him virtually with messages of support as he retires:
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2022
It is snowing … at the Winter Olympics!
While that might not sound like breaking news, in a region that experiences little snowfall and has seen only a light dusting so far this season, it is. The skiers and snowboarders competing in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, the two locations hosting mountain events in China, are the first to compete on mountains covered with 100% artificial snow. But Monday morning at Genting Snow Park, heavy snowfall blanketed the course during the Olympic debut of mixed team snowboardcross.
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2022
And while snow is great for the region, it’s an unwelcome nuisance during a race. Snow slows down the course and makes the surface uneven. In snowy conditions, team wax techs become indispensable on-snow pit crews, adjusting the bases of their riders’ snowboards to match the challenging, changing conditions.
Between heats on Monday, workers could be seen using shovels and blowers to clear the loose snow from the course, while others strapped into snowboards and side-slipped the course much like they do in-between runs at halfpipe contests. Despite the snow, the show must go on. — Alyssa Roenigk
This just doesn’t look real
But, it is. In fact, these are pictures from more than 80 years ago. Ski jumping in Illinois was brought over to the U.S. by Norwegian immigrants who settled there. The first event was held at Soldier Field in 1936 — and crushed ice was used for the jumping and landing areas. Two more events were held in 1937 and 1938, and they got so popular that the entire field was packed with fans, sometimes up to 60,000:
Because there are three ski jumpers from Illinois, I am obligated to repost photos of when Ski Jumps were held at Soldier Field pic.twitter.com/keuQCcsAV0
— Blake Schuster (@Schustee) February 12, 2022
In 2022, there are three ski jumpers representing Illinois at the Olympics in Beijing: Kevin Bickner, Casey Larson and Patrick Gasienica. — Aishwarya Kumar
Snowboard judging under scrutiny
Did Canadian slopestyler Max Parrot grab his knee or his board during his Olympic gold-medal run?
That question is blowing up in snowboard circles, and it’s made more intriguing because the rider who finished second landed the toughest trick of the contest. More on the controversy.
Jason Brown becomes No. 1 fan
USA’s Jason Brown mesmerized the world with his exquisite free skate a few days ago, finishing sixth. His job as a competitor might be over, but he’s just getting started as Team USA’s cheerleader:
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 12, 2022
Brown, 27, will be at several events in Beijing, cheering on his teammates. — Aishwarya Kumar
Trending on Twitter
After Week 1 of the Games, three Japanese and two American athletes are among the most mentioned on Twitter:
Top 5 athletes mentioned on Twitter globally during Week 1 of the #Olympics:
1️⃣Yuzuru Hanyu: Japan
2️⃣Shoma Uno: Japan
3️⃣Nathan Chen: USA
4️⃣Chloe Kim: USA
5️⃣Wakaba Higuch: Japan(via Twitter)
— Mark J. Burns (@markjburns88) February 11, 2022
Event schedule (all times ET)
1:05 a.m.: Men’s curling round robin – USA vs. Norway
5 a.m.: Men’s ski jumping large hill final
6 a.m.: Ice dance, rhythm dance
7 a.m.: Women’s round robin curling (multiple matches.
8 a.m.: Men’s hockey prelims (multiple matches)
