Medals update: Experience wins out as USA's Baumgartner and Jacobellis scoop gold in mixed team snowboard cross

The United States team of Nick Baumgartner (40) and Lindsey Jacobellis (36) were fastest and best in the brilliantly chaotic debut of mixed team snowboard cross here at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Despite heavy snow falling from the quarter-final stage on, the oldest team in the field kept their cool to take the historic gold.

For Baumgartner, here at his fourth Olympics, it's a first taste of gold, while Jacobellis, who took first in the women's competition, makes it double Beijing 2022 glory.

Age is just a number

"We’re embracing 'oldies for goldies!'" said Baumgartner, the oldest Olympic snowboard medal winner in history. "I don’t need a jacket right now as I have an inner fire burning!” Jacobellis was equally excited after the win: "All the pain is worth it. We're the 80s babies and we came in hot today -- I'm really excited about it."

Each team in the event was made up of two snowboarders (one woman and one man). The men competed first and the women second, with the time advantage in the men's leg over the next-best competitor transferred to the female teammate.

So the female athletes began their runs in a staggered format, with the time advantage earned by their teammate added to the beginning.

Jacobellis and Baumgartner, who embraced emotionally after the big final of the inaugural event, never looked like being denied.

Baumgartner, who was in tears two days ago, claiming he felt he "let everyone down" back home in Iron River, Michigan with his quarter-final loss in the men's event, pulled off an incredible takeover in his run in the mixed big final.

he gave Jacobellis some breathing room to help her come across the finish line first in the following women's leg (the final race of the event) that saw Meryeta O'Dine of Canada and Caterina Carpano of Italy crash hard.

Special day for Team USA

"It's days like I had two days ago that make days like this one so special," said Baumgartner. "And you have so much pressure off you when you have someone like Lindsey [Jacobellis] in the gate after you. You can be your best and I'm so proud to show my worth."

He added: "We're looking younger than everybody today!"

The Italian team of Omar Visintin (bronze in the men's competition) and Michela Moioli fought the whole way in the two big final legs. Moioli tightened the gap against Jacobellis in an all-out sprint finish, but it wasn't quite enough.

In the end, the Italians' efforts were good enough for the silver medal -- as they finished just ahead of Canadians O'Dine and Eliot Grondin (bronze).

"I gave it all to try to win, I tried everything, but I'm super happy with this medal and super happy to do this with Omar [Visintin], who's a friend and a champion," said silver winner Moioli. "I'm really proud of him and the way we rode today and we deserved it."

"This one I feel it's a whole team effort, not just me or just us two," added Visintin.

"I just wanted to have fun and I think we had fun," said Canada's Grondin after winning the bronze. "So I'm stoked, we just enjoyed the day, worked as hard as we could to be the best that we can and we got third."

His partner, O'Dine, added of her crash in the big final: "I just instantly got up and started hiking up the jump to try to get on the podium."

The Italians, with two teams in the big final, were guaranteed a medal before the start.

Big favourites out early

Several favourites crashed out of contention earlier in the competition.

Current world champions Jarryd Hughes and Belle Brockhoff of Australia were out in the quarter-final round. Brockhoff, after falling hard, was evaluated by on-site medical staff and eventually taken off the course on a sled.

The Austrians, consisting of men’s gold-medal winner Alessandro Haemmerle and Pia Zerhold, and a Team GB side of Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes, also failed to reach the big final.

But Baumgartner and Jacobellis, with nine Olympic Games between them, were worthy winners on the day. The model of speed and consistency in a new version of a notably unpredictable sport, they cruised through the quarter and semi-finals before riding their speed, guile – and of course, luck – to top spot.

Mixed team snowboard cross results

• 1 - TEAM USA (Baumgartner and Jacobellis)
• 2 - TEAM Italy (Visintin and Moioli)
• 3 - TEAM Canada (O'Dine and Grondin)