Everything you need to know about Taylor Gold

How do you stand out from the snowboard crowd?

Just ask Team USA halfpipe medal contender Taylor Gold.

The 28-year-old finished seventh in men’s halfpipe qualification at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Wednesday (9 February), and did so on his own terms.

On a day where attention was largely focused on three-time Olympic champion Shaun White, Gold’s performance on the pipe did not go unnoticed.

Unlike the majority of his rivals, the man from Colorado did not throw down the typical massive tricks often executed by those in high stakes competition. Instead, Gold strung together a run that was uniquely own.

Fond of the 'old-school' ways, Gold has found ways to make traditional tricks more complex and, for the most part, his creativity has received widespread approval.

His qualification run in Beijing which earned him 83.50 featured a hot take on the McTwist and a double Michalchuk 1080.

While his variety and difference might be considered risky, snowboarding purists know that what Gold is doing is setting him apart.

Before the Games, he told USA Today, “You can choose to spend time working on a triple cork, or you choose to spend time working on a combination that nobody has ever done."

At a press conference featuring US snowboarders that had qualified for the halfpipe final, talk centered on the infamous triple cork and whether one of the field might try and land it in Friday's final.

Lucas Foster, who missed out on the final, duly pointed out that what his countryman did on the pipe was no less challenging:

“Taylor’s got the double Chuck 1080, which is arguably just as difficult.”

Could it be enough to see him on the podium?

Taylor Gold's long road to the Beijing 2022

Gold’s appearance at Beijing 2022 was far from guaranteed.

The Steamboat Springs native made his Olympic debut at Sochi 2014 alongside sister Arielle but a fall saw him bow out at the semi-final stage.

But his career met a major setback in early 2016 when, while out filming backcountry, he hit a rock and shattered his kneecap in six places.

Six months after surgery, he still had only limited movement with further analysis showing he had also damaged the cartilage.

Rehabilitation was a slow process with Gold unable to compete due to the damage preventing him from landing jumps in the pipe. There followed further operations, and stem cell therapy, causing him to miss PyeongChang 2018 where Arielle won halfpipe bronze behind Chloe Kim.

With his knee repaired, Gold returned to action after nearly three years out.

Back in the flow of competition, and seeing how his rivals were progressing, Gold began to question his own technique and strategy.

During his time away, the sport had advanced such that the boarder was left in a quandary over whether he should adapt or stick to his style which is technically more demanding, but less spectacular.

Reassured by sister Arielle that he should stay true to himself, he has managed to recapture the form which sent him to his first Games at Sochi.

After finishing eighth at the 2021 World Championships, Gold claim second in the 2021 Dew Tour superpipe final.

Now he's made it back to the Olympic Winter Games – the greatest stage of all – where he will find out if his decision to persevere with his 'old-school' approach will land him on the podium.

The men’s snowboard halfpipe final is on Friday at 09:30 local time (18:30 MST on Thursday).