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By Liz Alper
Photo via larrybrownsports
February 11, 2018 (PyeonChang, South Korea) - Red Gerard said he woke up Sunday morning (on our Saturday morning, it was Sunday for Koreans, remember) feeling groggy and not wanting to get out of bed.
Don't we all say that on days that something incredible is about to happen?
The 17-year-old from Silverthorne, Colorado, whose full name is Redmond, won the first gold meda--the first medal of any metal, in fact--for Team USA in the 2018 Olympics in the men's slopestyle snowboarding final.
Each snowboarder was given three runs. Gerard failed miserably in his first two runs, but had a terrific third run, zooming from last place to first place and finishing with an 87.16, beating out Canada's Max Parrot and Mark McMorris, who finished second and third, respectively.
“I can’t believe I got to land my run,” said Gerard to reporters on Sunday after his third run. “Just to land a run would have been plenty for me and to get on the podium — but to get first is crazy.”
Gerard is now the youngest American man to medal at the Winter Olympics since 1928. He's also the youngest snowboarding gold medalist and the first Olympian born in the 2000s to win a medal at a Winter Olympics.
Slopestyle snowboarding was first introduced in Sochi in 2014 and an American has now twice won gold in the event.
Watch Red's full gold medal run here: https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/snowboarder-red-gerard-wins-first-us-gold-medal-2018-winter-olympics
In other Team USA news, women's hockey defeated Finland in their opening match Sunday night on goals from Monique Lamoureux-Morando and Kendall Coyne.
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