Former CU Buff, Taylor Gold qualifies for Men's Halfpipe Finals at 2022 Winter Olympics
Representing the United States along with three other Americans in the Olympics men’s halfpipe snowboard qualifiers, former CU Buff Taylor Gold put on a show, riding with no hesitation in both runs Tuesday night in Beijing.
After missing the 2018 winter games due to a knee injury, Gold made his second appearance at the Olympics, the first coming in 2014 when he made his debut. Although Taylor wasn’t able to appear at PyeongChang in 2018, the Gold name still found the podium as his sister, fellow Buff, Arielle won bronze in the halfpipe.
This year was the year for Taylor, appearing alongside some of the most well-respected snowboarders in the world, including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, the former Buff was able to do more than enough to earn himself a spot in the finals on Friday night.
Having to crack the top 12 in a group of 25 other top-tier athletes, Gold picked up right where he left off following a second-place finish at the Mountain Dew Tour in December. Putting together an impressive score of 81.25 in his first run, Gold found himself just outside the podium, sitting in fourth place heading into the second round.
The 28-year-old Colorado native then improved on the same run in the second round. Highlighting his retro style of riding with moves such as a cab double cork 1080, Gold was able to improve his score to an 83.5 on his second and final round.
Taylor Gold’s snowboarding style is smooth, but powerful, and he’s excited to show it off as he gets back to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. pic.twitter.com/sL6ircJV1G
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) February 7, 2022
Locking up a top twelve spot with a seventh-place finish, Gold and two of his teammates, White and Chase Josey, will advance to the Olympics men’s halfpipe final on Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
Featured Image: “Snowboard Halfpipe” by Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
