Nick Baumgartner

Nick Baumgartner, the oldest snowboarder in U.S. Olympic history at 40, wins his first Olympic medal, winning gold with Lindsey Jacobellis.

“It’s so hard to replicate the same scenario because there’s so many uncontrolled variables that it really helps to have the years behind you,” Jacobellis said. Even before adding a golden Olympic flourish to her career, Jacobellis was the sport’s most decorated athlete with 31 World Cup wins and 10 X Games championships. “I can’t tell you how much pressure is off you when you know you’ve got someone like Lindsey in the gate after you,” Baumgartner said. “For me, it’s like you get hungrier, you want it more, because you know there’s an expiration date and it’s coming,” Baumgartner said of aging in the sport. Jacobellis fell behind out of the gate early but rallied from third place and took the lead by passing Moioli on the final turn. After crossing the finish line first among the men, Baumgartner pumped his fist and shouted toward the start line, “Let’s go Linds!”

Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner are both thrilled to have earned a gold medal with their performances in the debut mixed snowboard cross event at ...

Jacobellis was next, wrapping up gold over Italy's Michela Moioli with an electric run that ended with her and Baumgartner gleefully embracing at the bottom of the track. You keep going because the good things are coming." This time, it was Baumgartner's turn.

Baumgartner, the oldest American snowboarder in Olympic history, earned his first Olympic medal.

“So to be able to come together and work as a team, and learn from each other on how the courses were changing with speed, I thought we did great.” “Because the vibe up at the top ... when it’s a team race, we’re all smiling and we’re having fun and we’re enjoying each other’s company. It’s because we’re just a little less stressed and we’re having fun.” “I didn’t know if she was OK, or anything,” said the 20-year-old Grondin, the silver medalist in the men’s event. The female rider then begins the run and the top two teams advance round by round until the final. “I always tell people that I learned a lot about myself and about my riding, once I did a team event,” Baumgartner said. Baumgartner gave Jacobellis a slender lead after his run in the final. The Americans have also won two new Olympic events contested at the Genting Snow Park — mixed team aerials and now mixed team snowboardercross. “You continue to try to grow and better yourself.” The Canadian duo of Eliot Grondin and Meryeta O’Dine finished third after O’Dine was able to scramble back up and get to the line first following an early-in the race wipeout with another Italian team. After a slow start at the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. now had five gold medals and 11 overall by Saturday afternoon. At 40 years, 57 days, Baumgartner, the concrete worker/contractor from Michigan, becomes the oldest snowboarder to win an Olympic medal.