Lindsey Jacobellis celebrates with her women's snowboardcross gold medal at the FIS Freestyle Ski & Snowboard World Championships on March 12, 2017 in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
Another snowboardcross world championships, another gold medal for Lindsey Jacobellis.
The 31-year-old extended her reign as the most decorated snowboardcross athlete and the most decorated snowboarder in any single event when she won her unprecedented fifth world title in as many starts Sunday at the 2017 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
Chloe Trespeuch of France took the silver medal, while Italy’s Michela Moioli claimed bronze.
“I have no idea,” Jacobellis said when asked what it is about world championships that brings out the best in her. “I believe this course played a great part in my win today. It was very dynamic and very fast. It took a couple of runs to dial the whole thing in in practice.
“The playing field was not level right off the bat. There were a lot of variables, like transitions that had to be matched perfectly, otherwise you would lose a lot of speed for someone else to capitalize on.”
The three-time Olympian and silver medalist at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, Jacobellis can carry the world championship momentum into the world cup final March 25 in Veysonnaz, Switzerland. Currently fifth in the cup standings, she is only 20 points behind Trespeuch for fourth and 670 points away from third place Moioli. With 67 career snowboardcross world cup starts, Jacobellis has earned 41 podiums and 26 wins.
In X Games competition, Jacobellis has earned 12 medals, including 10 golds. The only achievement missing from her resume is the elusive Olympic gold medal she hopes to finally earn next year.
Two-time Olympian Nick Baumgartner finished fourth in the men’s competition on Sunday, while Hagen Kearney was seventh.
