Red Gerard Wins Team USA’s First Gold in Winter Olympics 2018

Redmond “Red” Gerard wins the first gold medal for the U.S. in the Winter Olympics 2018 at Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Gerard was the only American snowboarder to advance to the finals, bouncing back from a major ranking deficit after slipping during his second run. In his final run, Gerard was able to stick the switch 1260 he had failed to land in his two previous runs.  On the last jump, Gerard managed a clean and precise triple cork 1440 on the last jump, completing four rotations with a perfect landing.

Here is the run that took the gold.

Gerard is the sixth of seven children. In a family of nine, it is not always easy to get attention, but Red’s love for dirt bikes, bicycles, and snowboards helped him stand out. However, living in Cleveland did not allow for Gerard to do a lot of snowboarding. According to his personal website, it wasn’t until a trial move to Breckenridge in the winter of 2007-08 that seven-year-old Red was able to hone his skills on a snowboard.

At 17 years old, Red Gerard is the youngest U.S. snowboarder to ever win a medal and the second youngest American to win an Olympic gold medal. Gerard has been snowboarding since he was two years old, and he even has his own trick park at this house.

Gerard’s other career highlights include champion of the 2017 FIS World Cup Slopestyle and 2017 U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Slopestyle Winner.