Nate Holland reacts after winning the men’s snowboardcross world cup final on March 17, 2018 in Veysonnaz, Switzerland.
Older proved faster for Nate Holland as he dominated the men’s snowboardcross world cup final Saturday in Veysonnaz, Switzerland.
Holland, who turns 40 this year, was the elder statesman in the 63-man snowboardcross field that gathered above 2026 Olympic candidate city Sion. Not that that slowed him down at all: the three-time Olympian flew by the younger generation of competitors in each of his heats on the course before cruising to victory in the big final.
“Some say I’m too old,” Holland remarked as he attempted to make, but missed out on, his fourth Olympic team last year. “I say B.S.”
On Saturday, he continued to prove it.
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In Switzerland, Holland defeated the new guard of Olympic boardercross stars: Mick Dierdorff, fifth in snowboardcross at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, crossed the finish line behind Holland to give the Americans the top two spots on the podium. Spain’s Lucas Eguibar was third.
Holland’s win marked his first world cup victory since the Olympic test event in February 2016 in Korea. Meanwhile, Dierdorff’s result was the best of his career; his only other world cup podium was a third place at the start of this season.
Olympic snowboardcross champion Pierre Vaultier of France won his first race in Veysonnaz, then finished fifth in his quarterfinal race and ended 17th overall. Three-time U.S. Olympian Nick Baumgartner, who finished just off the podium in the event in PyeongChang, also finished first in his first race, but fell to fourth in his quarterfinal heat for 14th overall.
Other Team USA finishes included Jake Vedder in 22nd, and 2018 Olympians Hagen Kearney in 33rd and Jonathan Cheever in 34th.
No U.S. athlete participated in women’s snowboardcross, which was won by Italy’s Michela Moioli. France’s Chloe Trespeuch and Manon Petit Lenoir completed the podium.
Blythe Lawrence is a journalist based in Seattle. She has covered two Olympic Games and is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
