Lindsey Jacobellis falls for third consecutive Olympics, misses medal

Diposkan oleh silent aja 8:50 PM Post a Comment

Despite being one of the world's best snowboard cross racers, American Lindsey Jacobellis has had high-profile failures in the Olympics. That trend continued on Sunday, as Jacobellis missed out on a medal thanks to a late fall in the semifinal race.

Jacobellis caused a huge firestorm at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, when she fell during the final of the snowboard cross event when possessing a huge lead. On the final jump before the finish line, Jacobellis grabbed the bottom of her snowboard to show off a bit. She fell, her lead evaporated and she settled for a silver medal.

At the 2010 Vancouver Games, she was looking for redemption, but fell in a semifinal race she more than likely would have won. Thanks to that, she missed out even competing for a medal in the final.

On Sunday in Sochi, she had a huge lead on her competitors in a semifinal heat, but lost her balance heading into one of the final jumps on the course and wiped out. She finished her heat in sixth place (out of six) and did not qualify for the medal round.

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For the second-straight Olympics, the 28-year-old was forced into the 'small final,' which she won, earning seventh place in the competition. She also won the small final in Vancouver.

Jacobellis was a heavy favorite and was likely headed for a gold medal showdown with the Czech Republic's Eva Samkova in the final. Samkova was the best racer all day and earned the gold medal with a dominant performance in the final. Canada's Dominique Maltais finished second, France's Chloe Trespeuch was third and American Fay Gulini finished fourth, just missing out on a medal after a close battle with Trespeuch for the final spot on the podium.

Meanwhile, Jacobellis will be left looking for answers after yet another disappointing Olympic performance. She is an eight-time X-Games snowboard cross champion but just can't seem to put it together in the Olympics.