Lindsey Jacobellis has won Team USA its very first gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics in the women's snowboard cross event, NBC News reports.
On Wednesday, February 9, the 36-year-old snowboarder secured the first spot in what was her fifth Olympic Games, and, as such, has become the oldest medalist in the sport.
Jacobellis is now a two-time Olympic medalist. She won her first medal, a silver, back in 2006 at her very first Olympic Games in Torino. That year, she suffered a severe fall that cost her first place.
"They can keep talking about it all they want," Jacobellis said of the unfortunate incident. "Because it really shaped me into the individual that I am. It kept me hungry and really kept me fighting in this sport."
When asked what sort of advice she would give younger, less experienced racers about slip-ups, she said: "It doesn’t define you. Especially if you’ve made it to this stage, you’re a winner. And look at what you’ve learned from the experience, and take that with you later in life."
Following the 2006 Winter Games, Jacobellis came in fifth place at the 2010 Games, she came seventh in 2014, and fourth in 2018. But 16 years after missing out on gold, she has more than proven her prowess in the sport.
Jacobellis said following her historic win at the 2022 Winter Games: "This feels incredible because this level that all the women are riding at is a lot higher than it was 16 years ago.
"So I felt like a winner just that I made it into finals because that's been a challenge every time. All these ladies had the potential to win, and today it just worked out for me that my starts were good, my gliding was great and everything worked for me today."
Despite achieving what she was unable to in 2006, Jacobellis does not view her gold medal as redemption.
"I never thought of it that way. That was not in my mind. I wanted to just come here and compete," she said.
