The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games allowed American athletes to prove their talent to the world. U.S. athletes brought home eight gold medals, ten silver, and seven bronze. American snowboarders received five of the 25 won in total.
Lindsey Jacobellis received two medals. The Olympic veteran won gold in the women’s snowboard cross and received the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the mixed team snowboard cross event. Her partner for the team event was fellow Olympic veteran and medalist Nick Baumgartner. The 2022 games were Jacobellis’s fifth Olympic competition and Baumgartner’s fourth.
Also bringing home gold for the USA snowboarding team was Chloe Kim. Kim received a gold medal in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe. The award was her second time obtaining Olympic Gold in this event. The Gold medal was already hers by the time she finished her first run. Her near-perfect second-run finish solidified her status.
Julia Marino’s silver medal in the women’s snowboarding slopestyle was the first medal won for the United States in the 2022 Olympics. This was the second Olympic game for the athlete, and her medal win occurred despite taking a fall on her first run. The medalist holds the record of being the first woman to ever land a double in a slopestyle competition. She achieved the title at only 18 and performed two doubles in the same run.
Snowboarding superstar Shaun White announced the events would mark the start of his retirement. Unfortunately, White finished 2.25 points behind the bronze winner. White shed tears following the event, but the emotions were over his retirement and not his performance. The skilled athlete holds three gold medals from five Olympic games. White is also the holder of 10 ESPY awards and is the record holder of the most gold medals for any snowboarder in the X Games.
Many snowboarding fans were sad to see Shaun White retire. The 2022 games, however, prove the country continues to produce talented snowboarders, particularly female athletes. All but one of the snowboarding medals received in Beijing were won by women’s snowboarding team members.
