BY DC CUEVA
A few weeks ago marked the one-year-to-go marker until 2020's biggest summer blockbuster: the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan, as the world's largest populated city and metropolis will next host the biggest event in all of sports. A number of events will be making their debuts on the Olympic program in skateboarding, surfing, 3-on-3 basketball, sport climbing and karate, while two other sports return to the program after they were removed from the Games the last time it visited Asia, in baseball and softball - two strengths of the host nation in the former being a national sport and the ladder having won the last gold medal contested in 2008 in Beijing.
There were two other members of that first class of Champs vs. Pros/Stars who competed on the spinoff series, which gave everyone reason to compete in the name of charity, and whose get-together in the Southern California sun not long ago with one of those who they competed with two years ago that prompted this site to take a second look.
Look back over the course of recent Olympic history, and what stands out above all are the astonishing feats of Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, Shaun White, and so many others. Smudged in between are those odd moments that have occurred with the world watching: the pairs figure skating controversy in Salt Lake, Roy Jones Jr. being robbed of a gold by bogus judges at the '88 Seoul Games, an entire U.S. men's volleyball team shaving off their hair after controversially losing an Olympic match... and the list goes on.
And then there's what happened in the sport that, along with beach volleyball, helped to bring the Olympics to the world's youth of the 21st century. Snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998 in Nagano, Japan -- the same Winter Games where curling and women's hockey made their debuts as did NHL players. Snowboarding made headlines off the snow for Canadian Ross Rebagliati being stripped of his giant slalom gold for testing positive for marijuana... only for that decision to be later overturned, ten years after the Ben Johnson debacle.
But it wasn't until it came to the nation that gave birth to the sport in 2002 in Salt Lake City that snowboarding made its first splash. It began with halfpipe gold by Kelly Clark winning the first gold medal of what would be a record American medal haul, followed the next day by the American men sweeping the medals in the men's 'pipe... the first time that Team USA had won gold, silver and bronze in the same winter event since before the Olympics were even televised in America. Those feats inspired the likes of Shaun, Chloe Kim, Gretchen Blier and Hannah Teter.
The gold medal final saw her battle for the medals alongside Canadians Dominique Maltais and Maelle Ricker (who later won this event four years later in Vancouver), and Switzerland's Tanja Frieden. As expected of someone who was the clear favorite, Jacobellis held the lead right from when they exited the starting gate until they were within sight of the finishing grandstands, and was as much as three seconds ahead of the field. But it was what happened in the homestretch and what she did at the final hill that left everyone speechless -- fans and media alike, including NBC broadcasters Pat Parnell and Todd Richards.
In one of the most-shocking moments in Olympic history, an moment of showboating at the penultimate jump in doing a method grab only meters from the finish saw Lindsey fall... the Swiss passed her to steal the gold medal from her grasp... and the American recovered to settle for silver. She told the press afterwards that the grab was intended to keep herself stable in the air, and in taking advantage of the fun and heat of the moment in front of the world that she was about to stamp her name in Olympic lore... but as it turns out, it would be for not winning a gold.
Though she has competed at every Olympics that her event has been on the docket, though she has won more world titles and Winter X-Games golds in the discipline... it's what happened on that Friday afternoon in the Italian Alps that, unfortunately, Lindsey has had to live with... even now as she eyes towards competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics where, after another near miss at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, eyes one more shot at getting the gold that got away from her.
There, the Winter Olympian got to cheer on someone who she competed with on Champs vs. Pros and who may as well join her as an Olympian herself in less than twelve months from now: Tia Blanco was 19 when she put on the Challenge jersey two years ago with her fellow Olympians and athletes. Everyone around her had been to the Olympics and had played in the pros, but Tia was the baby of this group three years after becoming a world juniors medalist at age 17, a gold at the World Games (the Olympics for sports not on the Olympic program), and two Open World Surf Tour titles. But she also became just as known outside surfing for being a vegan, an outspoken advocate for animal rights and becoming a role model within health circles.
Doing ten Challenges, winning a couple of them and making finals in two other seasons can make a case for her being known as a great in this Challenge world, as well as laying claim to being the only competitor to send the great Laurel home in an elimination on Invasion of the Champions. And there was the night she decided to go all in on Johnny Bananas on Battle of the Exes that created her legend... unfortunately, it's what happened in the second season she would win and then on Champs vs. Stars that cast a big shadow on her accomplishments.
On Champs vs. Pros, Tia made it halfway through the season and succumbed to Lolo's elimination mastery. For Lindsey, she & Kamerion Wimbley made it to the final as the lone set of Pros to earn their way into the dash for the cash after the final purge. And for Camila, she paired with Wes as they set about defending the Champs' dungeon in the first of these three spinoffs... and they succeeded in a way, as Cara Maria & Darrell won ultimate MVP honors and redeemed their last place finish on Fresh Meat II.
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| Tia, Lindsey & Camila (center three), w/ Sina (L) & Aja (R) [Twitter @CamilaMTV) |
Sina captioned, "If you surround yourself with awesome people, chances are you'll have an awesome day." In case you're wondering, Tia finished in 17th place at that U.S. Open, 37th at Super Girl, and presently lies inside the top 40 in the women's standings of the World Surf League, as she continues to accelerate her standing just ahead of her sport's biggest ever showcase next year.
— Camila Nakagawa (@CamilaMTV) July 31, 2019
- I AM DC
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