Paso Robles snowboarder misses chance for Olympic medal
Paso Robles snowboarder Trevor Jacobs raced nearly two full runs on the snowboard cross course Tuesday morning on what he believes is a broken ankle.
Jacobs said he heard a pop in his right ankle as he landed off the first jump in his semifinal heat. He knew the ligaments around his cuboid bone were already a mess, and the pop told him his ankle was shredded.
Jacob, 20, had yet to take off his boot and have his foot and ankle examined by a doctor.
Jacob still managed to finish fourth in that semifinal, narrowly missing out of a spot in the Olympic final when teammate Alex Seibold slid past him just before the finish line. Judges needed photographic evidence to determine that Seibold had finished third. Seibold went on to win the bronze medal.
Jacob, despite the pain in his ankle, returned to the top of the mountain to compete in the small final that determined places six-12. He finished third in that heat, and ninth overall.
Sochi 2014 Men’s Snowboard Cross Final Results
- Pierre Vaultier (Gold), FRA
- Nikolay Olyunin (Silver), RUS
- Alex Deibold (Bronze), USA
- Paul-Henri de le Rue, FRA
- Stian Sivertzen, NOR
- Luca Matteotti, ITA
- Lucas Eguibar, ESP
- Kevin Hill, CAN
- Trevor Jacob, USA
- Hanno Douschan, AUT