ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Snowboard cross is different from most Winter Olympic events in that athletes actually race alongside each other simultaneously. They don’t perform and then wait to see how the next person does, like in figure skating or Alpine skiing. Saturday morning’s mixed-team event put a different spin on it: Two stories jostled for position, each hellbent on finishing first.
Was it the aging snowboarders who finally found gold near the end of their careers? Or the retired one who accused their coach of predatory behavior?
Nick Baumgartner and Lindsey Jacobellis would like you to focus on them.