ASPEN, CO (Jan. 24) – Olympians Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountan, VT) both took snowboardcross gold at X Games Aspen Friday, less than two weeks before heading to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. It was Holland’s seventh X Games gold medal, and came after a serious shoulder injury earlier this season. Jacobellis also reeled in her eighth X Games gold, making her the winningest woman in X Games history after spending two seasons recovering from knee injuries. The official U.S. Olympic team nominations for snowboardcross will be announced Saturday Jan. 25.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Olympians Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountan, VT) both took snowboardcross gold at X Games Aspen Friday, less than two weeks before heading to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
- It was Holland’s seventh X Games gold medal, and came after a serious shoulder injury earlier this season. To top it off, Holland has been sick with the flu the last couple of days.
- U.S. Snowboarding teammate Alex Tuttle (Stratton, ME) took silver with German Konstantin Schad taking bronze in the men’s big final. The USA’s Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, MA) finished eighth with Hagen Kearney (Telluride, CO) ninth.
- Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI), defending Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott (Sugarloaf, ME) as well as Trevor Jacob (Mammoth Lakes, CA) did not advance to the finals.
- Jacobellis also in reeled her eighth X Games gold, making her the winningest woman in X Games history after taking two seasons off to recover from knee injuries.
- Czech rider Eva Samkova took silver with Helene Olafsen taking bronze.
- U.S. teammate Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City) advanced to the big final, but slipped off the course and finished sixth.
- Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (Girdwood, AK) advanced to the small final, where she finished 10th.
- The official U.S. Olympic team nominations for snowboardcross will be announced Saturday Jan. 25.
QUOTES
Nate Holland
This year has gone up and down for me so much with the broken collarbone and Olympic qualifiers. I scratched my way into the Olympics. It’s just really been a year of adversity and I’m just so stoked to overcome that. I’m on the right path right now and it’s given me so much confidence for Sochi. Another X Games gold…I can’t believe it!
I just rely a lot on my experience. I know how to get in the gate and just switch it on; block out the shoulder, block out a cold…whatever. I was sick yesterday, I’ll be sick tomorrow but not today. It’s just using that experience and just mentally knowing I can do it and getting through there. My boards are running so fast. I couldn’t have done it without Andy Buckley greasing them. The whole support of the U.S. Team had me fired up for X.
Lindsey Jacobellis
For the last two years, what I’ve been through, it’s like the icing on the cake. I have the best confidence I could have going into Sochi. I feel great right now.
It’s always been my hardest thing, to get a good start, and I’m still not the first one out of the gate so I just try to work every feature, match every landing as best as I can and try to get into a small tuck.
It’s been quite the journey and it’s made me the athlete I am today. I felt I’ve grown over the last two years in how to approach every race and my mindset has better improved my riding. I’ve been really happy that that has been a product of my injury, even though that wasn’t an ideal thing to happen.
RESULTS
Official Men’s Results
Official Women’s Results
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