BEIJING (NEXSTAR) — It took a few days, but Lindsey Jacobellis claimed Team USA’s first gold medal of the Games Wednesday in Beijing, and her journey to the podium began with a loss 16 years ago.
“I definitely have obviously put 2006 in the past and have done a lot of soul-searching to realize that that moment does not define me as an athlete, as an individual,” explains Jacobellis, who narrowly avoided gold in the Torino games as a result of a premature celebration.
That moment has followed the snowboarder for 16 years and represents her last trip to an Olympic podium.
“It’s an honor to have been representing the US team for that amount of time as well,” says Jacobellis. “At the end of the day, that’s just our sport. There are so many uncontrolled variables.”
Jacobellis has controlled those variables throughout her career, including her 10 wins in snowboard cross at the X Games which are the most wins achieved by any woman in history. Now she’s an Olympic champion. At 36, she’s the oldest American woman to ever win gold at the Winter Olympics.
“If it’s gonna go to anyone, I’m so proud that she got it,” says Meryeta Odine, bronze medal winner in snowboard cross for Team Canada. “She’s earned it over the years of work that she’s done.”
And that work for Jacobellis has paid in gold.
“Some days I really don’t like it. Some days it’s very stressful and aggravating, the anxiety is through the roof,” Jacobellis says. “But when it all comes together and for days like this, it makes it worth it.”