Age is merely a figure for Benjamin Karl, the 40-year-old Austrian snowboarder who made history by clinching his second consecutive gold medal in the parallel giant slalom at the Winter Olympics. Karl’s time beat silver medalist Sangkyum Kim by a mere 0.19 seconds, solidifying his legacy at 40 years and 115 days old, making him the oldest individual Olympic gold medalist in Winter history, surpassing the record of Ole Einar Bj酶rndalen from 2014.
Benjamin Karl’s victory celebration
Quote: “At 40 years old, Benjamin Karl has earned BACK-TO-BACK #WinterOlympics gold in men’s parallel giant slalom. 馃敟 pic.twitter.com/aFFyjJunlI” - NBC Olympics & Paralympics
In a jubilant display, Karl celebrated his victory by shedding layers of clothing to show off his bare chest, despite the cold, and robustly dove into the snowy arena, remarking that he felt much warmer than how it looked. He humorously compared the closing laps of the event to emerging from a sauna.
This triumph marks the fourth medal in Karl’s Olympic journey, comprising two golds, a silver from 2010, and a bronze from 2014.
U.S. Team Wins in Figure Skating Event
After Breezy Johnson secured a gold for the United States in women’s downhill skiing, Team USA also clinched victory in the team figure skating event.
Ilia Malinin, aged 21, provided a captivating performance with a score of 200.03, securing the top position for the U.S., while Japan’s Shun Sato made a commendable attempt with 194.86, but fell short, ensuring successive Olympics with the U.S. topping the figure skating podium.
