While there are definitely other moments in Olympic Snowboard history that have had us on the edge of our seats, screaming at TV’s whilst whooping and hollering, no moment in our mind stands out so clearly. It’s Turin, 2006, the first ever women’s Snowboard Cross Olympic final and gold medal favourite Lindsay Jacobellis is way out in front of the pack.
What happens next stands out as the most iconic moment to us for several reasons; firstly you’ve got Ed Leigh’s absolutely exuberant commentary (“FREIDANNNN” is engrained into our memory even now), secondly the fact that it was so out of the blue and thirdly the fact that all the years later Lindsay Jacobellis is heading to Beijing for her fifth Olympic Games to chase that illusive gold. We hate to remember a rider for their misfortune rather than the triumphs of their career, plus we all love a redemption story, so our money’s on Jacobellis topping the podium in a twist of fate that comes full circle 16 years later.
