Lindsey Jacobellis flubbed 4 years ago in Torino, was almost guaranteed the gold but showed off near the finish, grabbed her board during the last jump and ended up falling on her ass, while Swiss Tanja Frieden swooshed past for the gold.
She waited four years for redemption at the OG’s but it was all to no avail. Jacobellis, one of the dominant boarders of the decade, landed awkwardly after the first big jump in the semifinal race for Women’s Snowboard Cross. She went right, then left, and collided with a gate, then spun off the course. It was an auto-DQ. Moment over. Ugh.
When asked what happened, she answered:
From Yahoo Sports:
It was simple: On a course shrouded in fog all day and with some snow that, in Jacobellis’ words, “felt like mashed potatoes,” she bit it. She caught huge air on the jump, enough that she almost landed on the board of Canadian Maelle Ricker. Jacobellis ended up leaning on her front foot heading into one of the snowboardcross course’s hairpin turns, where anything but optimal balance is an invitation to eat snow.
When a piece of the gate snapped into the air, Jacobellis lifted her arms in anguish before smacking her helmet. The jumbo screen along the side of the mountain stayed with her for a few extra moments, forgetting the race and focusing on the woman who can’t conquer the Olympics.
Even worse, after she crossed the finish line, Jacobellis needed to go down to the ski lift and jump a chair back to the top. The Small Final beckoned. It was an inconvenience, an indignity and an insult, and the ride was the longest of her life. Jacobellis looked down on the mountain, back to the fans, surveyed the entire scene. She had blown it. She had blown it again.
Anyway, in every race there’s a winner and there are losers. Jacobellis lost. Whatever. It’s not like she’s going around blaming anyone. Let’s move on.
On to the half-pipes yeah \o/
Photo Credits: Yahoo Sports
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