Snowboarder Julia Marino wins surprising silver for Team USA’s first medal in Beijing
Julia Marino of Westport Connecticut shocked the field when she earned a silver medal in Slopestyle snowboarding, and nabbing Team USA its first medal of the 2022 Olympic Games. The gold medal favorite heading into Beijing, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand brought all the drama, securing the top spot on the final run of the contest. While Jamie Anderson’s dreams of becoming a three-peat gold medalist didn’t come to fruition, the American leaves a lasting legacy in the sport.
Video Transcript
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- Jamie Anderson's reign as the Queen of Olympic Snowboard Slopestyle has come to an end. For the first time in eight years, the American Anderson is no longer the defending Olympic champion, as Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from New Zealand won gold in Beijing. Sadowski-Synnott wrapped the biggest score on the very last run of the competition, landing New Zealand its first-ever gold medal in a Winter Olympic Games.
American Julia Marino wasn't expected to medal coming into Beijing. But a fantastic second run earned the 24-year-old from Westport, Connecticut, a silver medal, putting Team USA on the podium for the first time at these games. Anderson finished the event in a disappointing ninth place. But she put the sport on the Olympic map, winning the first-ever Olympic Slopestyle event at the Sochi Games in 2014, and repeating at the 2018 Games in South Korea. While the 31-year-old's Olympic journey may be coming to an end, Anderson's legacy will live on.
JAMIE ANDERSON: Sometimes I feel so proud of everything I've done. And, you know, my mom always says, like, there's nothing to prove. Like, just go enjoy.
But I think deep down, of course everyone going there wants to win and do their best. It's insane. Like, the level of riding in women's snowboarding right now is through the roof.
And it's so cool to see the younger girls I'm competing with now that are 10, 15 years below me just, like, handling it. Throwing down. Learning new tricks that scare the-- out of me.
But it's really impressive, and it's really inspiring. So I'm just thankful to see how far this sport has come. And I'm just grateful for all of the good times along the way.
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