.@JamieAsnow is in 1st place after Run 1 in slopestyle! #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/jf2eYjOJwI
— NBCSN (@NBCSN) February 12, 2018
The show must go on. But many of the female snowboarding competitors didn’t exactly want this particular Olympic slopestyle show to continue as prolific winds pounded the course, creating dangerous conditions. Jamie Andersen was able to push through, however, with one of the cleanest runs of the day, to win her second Olympic gold medal. Canada’s Laurie Blouin ended in silver with Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi grabbing bronze.
But things got kinda chippy. Admittedly, the winds impacted the day in general with the giant slalom alpine ski race being postponed. Many snowboarders thought ski racing was getting preferential treatment from the ISF. “The slalom today, I know it’s unfair if it’s windy,” said Norwegian snowboarder Silje Norendal. “But they can’t die. We can actually get super hurt. Before my first run I was just up there crying. It is crazy that we did it today.”
Austrian snowboarder Anna Gasser even threw a bit of shade on Anderson’s win, telling reporters and officials the only reason Anderson wanted the event to continue was because she had the “safest run.”
But that might have been more of a strategic move from Anderson, who says she changed her highest scoring run mid-slope when she felt like the wind was going to affect it, going with a single flip or cork instead of a double. She was one of only five women to land a clean turn through the course. “I’m not extremely proud of my run,” she said.
Still, Anderson was good enough to repeat as Olympic champion. And that’s all that really matters.
