They were the oldest pair at the mixed-team snowboarding cross competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Reason enough for Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner to break into giggles as they spied their age on the entrant list. Only one other competitor was born in the 80s.
At 37 and 41 years, Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner have made marvelous history with the gold in their mixed-team event which debuted at the Genting Park. It was the fifth Olympics for Lindsey and she was already the oldest among Americans to bag an Olympic gold at a Winter Olympic event. The gold ended her wait for the gold after she lost her first place in 2006 for celebrating too early.
Nick is the most senior snowboarder at his 4th Olympics to win gold. He is also the oldest snowboarder and also the oldest American gold medallist after Frank Tyler won in the 4-man bobsled in 1948 at the age of 43. Nick promised to overtake that record next time. He won his first medal after twelve years of competition.
Johan Clarey of France was another senior winning a downhill silver medal at 41. Dutch Ireen Wust won the gold for speed skating at the age of 35.
What is more pertinent is that mixed-race snowboarding is a mix between motocross racing and snowboarding, sports normally associated with youth and thrill-seeking and not for senior athletes, as Lindsey Jacobellis asserted. Competing in an event that is dangerous to the neck, knees, back is not normal for 37 and 41-year-olds.
Lindsey Jacobellis And Nick Baumgartner Are Competing Together For 17 Years
Lindsey Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner are both pushing the limits of what each competitor can do and also what humans can achieve. They are not ones to quit early in life. They have been teammates for around 17 years. That effectively covers Lindsey Jacobellis’s whole career. Nick paired up with her 3 years into his career.
Nick was there when Lindsey Jacobellis was picked up after knee surgery, screaming with joy as she made her first steps on the beginner’s hill. It was their experience that finally gave them the gold after two decades without one. It is a sport will uncontrolled variables and it helps when you have years behind you, says Lindsey Jacobellis.
