Photo: REX USA/Jussi Nukari/Rex.The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi have been mired in controversy and Opening Ceremony snafus, but it's important to not overlook the achievements of the athletes who are competing. Specifically, a certain athlete by the name of Sage Kotsenburg, who just scored a gold medal for Team USA. Did we mention that it's the first gold medal of the Winter Games? Did we mention that that's totally awesome? Can we get a high five?
A native of Couer d’Alene, Idaho, Kotsenburg edged out Norway's Staale Sandbech and Canada's Mark McMorris of Canada in the men's snowboarding slopestyle final. The 20-year-old scored a 93.50 to take the lead after coming second in the semifinals. It's worth noting teammate Shaun White had pulled out of the event earlier in the week to concentrate on his half-pipe event. Safety concerns were cited as a factor in White's decision.
All's well that ends well. Congrats to Kotsenburg for doing us proud. Though, let's not get too smug, America — it's going to be a long Olympics. (But still: USA! USA! USA!) (NY Post)