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In 2013, Nick Baumgartner completed third within the Stadium Tremendous Vans race at The Dome at America’s Middle. Practically a decade later, he may also add a racing-related gold medal within the Olympic Video games.
The Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, noticed Baumgartner compete for Staff USA in snowboard cross; he has made the Olympic crew every time since 2010, although he did not medal in his first three tries earlier than his breakthrough on Saturday. Simply two days after a devastating defeat within the males’s particular person occasion the place he completed one place in need of making the ultimate, he and Lindsey Jacobellis introduced house the gold within the inaugural combined crew snowboard cross occasion.
Certainly one of two American groups within the combined races, Baumgartner and Jacobellis received each of their warmth races to advance to the ultimate. Baumgartner took the lead on an overtake whereas airbourne earlier than passing the metaphorical baton to Jacobellis. In a dramatic battle with 2018 ladies’s snowboard cross gold medalist Michela Moioli of Italy, Jacobellis held off her rival to seal the victory. At 40 years of age, Baumgartner is the oldest snowboarder to win an Olympic medal, whereas his 36-year-old team-mate mixed to make the oldest duo competing within the occasion.
Snwoboard cross is probably a becoming self-discipline for winter athletes with a penchant for motorsport, as it’s principally a downhill race between opponents slightly than a score-based occasion. Baumgartner’s expertise additionally extends past the Olympics as a two-time Winter X Video games medalist, successful gold in 2011 and silver the next 12 months.
Since 2011, Baumgartner has additionally discovered himself behind the wheel of a brief course off-road truck. He competed within the now defunct TORC: The Off-Highway Championship, successful at Crandon in simply his second profession begin within the Inventory Truck class which he said at the time ranked “proper up there with making the Olympic crew and successful at X Video games.” After claiming Rookie of the 12 months honours, he moved as much as Professional Lite. He additionally participated within the 2012 SCORE Worldwide Baja 1000‘s Class 2 as a co-driver alongside Clyde Stacy, Mike Powell, and Steven Arlia, the place their #219 overcame an damaged axle to complete the complete distance.
In 2013, he joined the newly fashioned Stadium Tremendous Vans, working the primary six races. On the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis (now The Dome at America’s Middle), he completed third behind Rob MacCachren and sequence founder Robby Gordon in what could be his last begin of the season. Baumgartner returned to SST for the 2014 Summer X Games at Circuit of the Americas, making him one in all a handful of athletes who’ve competed in each seasonal X Video games. After ending fourth in his warmth race to make the ultimate, he positioned eighth.
SST gave Baumgartner a shout-out in a Throwback Thursday post on Instagram, prompting him to remark, “A lot love guys. Miss Nowadays and all the great instances and nice folks”.
Regardless of the talk that flashes up each 4 years, motorsport and the Olympic Video games usually don’t overlap, although this doesn’t imply there isn’t any crossover in any way. Motor racing appeared on the 1900 Summer time Olympics as a part of the World’s Honest, although the Worldwide Olympics Committee (IOC) has by no means confirmed if the World’s Honest occasions rely as Olympic sports activities. In 2012, the FIA received IOC recognition.
When it comes to athletes, some System One drivers have competed within the Video games like Prince Birabongse Bhanudej (crusing, Thailand), Divina Galica (snowboarding, Nice Britain), Roberto Mieres (crusing, Argentina), Ben Pon (taking pictures, Netherlands), Alfonso de Portago (bobsleigh, Spain), Bob Mentioned (bobsleigh, USA), and Robin Widdows (bobsleigh, Britain), although none had been capable of medal. Tom Stallard, who works as Daniel Ricciardo‘s engineer at McLaren, received a silver medal in rowing for Britain in 2008. Longtime NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine runs the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Challenge, which has offered bobsleighs for Staff USA to make use of within the Winter Video games. On the British aspect, Olympic biking legends Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy have dabbled in sports activities vehicles, with the latter additionally racing within the 24 Hours of Le Mans, whereas 2010 skeleton gold medalist Amy Williams has carried out rallying.
Nonetheless, maybe probably the most notable racing/Olympic crossover as an alternative comes within the Paralympic Video games. Alex Zanardi, a two-time CART champion and former F1 driver who misplaced his legs in a wreck, is a four-time Paralympic gold medalist in biking with two apiece within the 2012 and 2016 Summer time Video games.
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