The U.S. women’s snowcross riders were chasing America’s third-ever medal in the event.
WASHINGTON — American snowboard cross legend Faye Thelen competed in her fifth Olympics on Friday, but missed out on a medal chance after she was knocked out of the competition during the semifinals.
Team USA’s Stacy Gaskill, who finished seventh in snowboard cross at the 2022 Olympics, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
American riders Brianna Schnoorbusch and Hanna Percy were knocked out early in the competition.
The only American to ever medal in women’s snowboard cross is Lindsey Jacobellis, who took silver in the 2006 Turin Games and gold in the 2022 Beijing Games. She also won gold in mixed team snowboard cross in 2022. Jacobellis is an analyst for NBC for the Milan Cortina Games.
This year, gold went to Josie Baff of Australia, followed closely by Czechia’s Eva Adamszyova for silver and Michela Mololi of Italy finishing in the bronze position.
Noemie Wiedmer, the 18-year-old Swiss snowboarder, came in fourth, just shy of the podium.
How did Team USA do in women’s snowboard cross?
Hanna Percy came in third in her semifinal heat, dropping from the competition by a 2-second margin. She placed 18th overall.
Brianna Schnorrbusch ended third in the 1/8-final, and didn’t advance to the quarterfinals round. She placed just behind Hannah Percy at 19th.
Stacy Gaskill and Faye Thelen raced in the same semifinal heat, with Gaskill taking an early lead and fighting to stay in the top two while Thelen trailed the pack. But by the final stretch, the standings had reversed, with Thelen in a photo finish for first, while Gaskill crossed the finish last and was eliminated.
Gaskill placed 14th overall.
But Thelen’s run ended in the semifinal, as she ended third in the heat and dropped to the small final. In the small final, she again came in third, earning seventh place overall in the event.
What are the rules of snowboard cross?
In snowboard cross, athletes race against one another on a course that includes obstacles such as jumps, rollers and berms. Snowboard cross heats at the Winter Olympics feature four riders on the course at the same time.
The results in each heat are determined by the first part of the body or the snowboard that crosses the finish line.
Each athlete wears a bib color that corresponds to their seeding.
The top-ranked rider in the heat wears a red bib, No. 2 a green bib, No. 3 a blue bib, and No. 4 a yellow bib. Based on bib colors, riders choose which of the four starting gates they will use in the heat — the rider with the red bib gets first pick, followed by the rider in the green bib, and so on.
The small final is a consolation race for those who didn’t advance to the finals from the semifinal heats. The small final determines who gets 5th through 8th place.