As much as the Olympics is about an athlete competing in his or her respective sport, they couldn’t make it there without all the people who supported them along the way.
And that is exactly why it was so amazing to see 17-year-old Red Gerard’s family go nuts when the young snowboarder was able to grab his first gold medal on Sunday afternoon in Pyeongchang, South Korea, at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
.@RedmondGerard is now the youngest American to win a medal in a snowboard event at the Olympics: https://t.co/aVOh4IYD3l #WinterOlympics #BestOfUS pic.twitter.com/hEMI43iSSl
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2018
The teenager got off to a rough start during the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle, falling during his first two attempts and putting him in last place going into his third and final run.
Fortunately, the American athlete proved to be mentally tough and left everything he had on the slopes during his last shot, earning a score of 87.16.
It moved him all the way up into the gold medal spot.
Gerard’s reaction to winning the gold wasn’t the only emotional one—his family jumped, screamed, and hugged each other, showing how happy they were to watch the 17-year-old’s dream come true.
As NBC Sports reports, Gerard’s cheering section was estimated “at about 18 strong […] at the slopestyle course holding up large cardboard cutouts of his head and signs like “We’re here to get Gerarded.”
High-five! #WinterOlympics #BestOfUS pic.twitter.com/hX7FK0HT9f
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 11, 2018
Congratulations, Gerard, on winning your first-ever Olympic gold medal and the first gold medal for Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
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