U.S. Wins First Gold Medal At 2022 Winter Olympics

Lindsey Jacobellis won the first gold medal for the United States in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, winning the women's snowboard cross on Wednesday (February 9). At 36-years-old, Jacobellis is now the oldest American woman to win a gold medal in any sport at the Winter Games.

Chloé Trespeuch of France took home silver, and Canada's Meryeta O'Dine finished in third place.

The win gives Jacobellis redemption after falling on the second-to-last jump in the women's snowboard cross in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, costing her the gold in the inaugural event.

"This feels incredible because this level that all the women are riding at is a lot higher than it was 16 years ago," Jacobellis said after the race. "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."

Team USA has won a total of seven medals so far in Beijing, tied for sixth-place overall with four other countries. Russia leads all nations with 11 medals, while Germany has the most gold medals with five.