Vancouver's Ricker delights snowboard crowds
Snowboard cross burst on to the Winter Olympics stage four years ago with one of the most memorable stories in Games history as American Lindsey Jacobellis threw away a certain gold by showboating over the final jump.
So what would the story be at Cypress Mountain in 2010? Would Jacobellis redeem herself, would Canada be celebrating a second gold medal of the Games or would Britain sneak in with their first snowboard medal in Olympic history?
Well, it turned out to be a Canadian success story as local hero Maelle Ricker lived up to her pre-race favourite tag to seal gold in front of a huge partisan Canadian crowd at her hometown course, just a few miles away from her home in Squamish.
The race itself was delayed by two hours as thick fog enveloped the course but at noon they were off, with plenty of thrills and spills and stoppages for the weather.
And after the first qualification run, Canadian hearts were in their mouths as both Ricker and the highly-rated Dominique Maltais both fluffed their opening run.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.
With the pressure on, Maltais crashed again and was out of the knockout stages but Ricker put down a solid second run to qualify third fastest, just behind Jacobellis, with Britain's Zoe Gillings eighth quickest.
The sport is fast and furious in itself but so are the rounds, and as soon as the riders finish one heat they are back up on the lifts and preparing to race again, which proves to a recreational skier like me just how fit and strong these competitors truly are.
Gillings cruised through the quarter-fiinal as did Ricker, Jacobellis and the young Norwegian Helene Olafsen, who had been riding faster than some of the men in training.
The expectation levels and noise were cranked up a few more notches as the semi-final start-gate fell, with Olafsen and Austria's Olivia Nobs the first two home and into the Olympic final.
Gillings finished third and missed out on the chance to challenge for a medal. In the B final, she barely got out of the start-gate before pulling up, needing medical treatment before heading down the mountain on the ski lift.
She told me afterwards she had hurt her knee in the semi-final and would not have been able to race in the final even if she had made it.
"I'm pretty happy with a top-eight finish. I was trying for a medal as I
always do, so I'm disappointed with that, but I definitely tried my best," she said.
"I'm just looking forward to the future now. I love the atmosphere at the Olympics so can't wait for the 2014 Games in Sochi to come around."
The 24-year-old from the Isle of Man had been cheered on by her family, including toddler nephew Zaden, and friends who had been kitted out in GB hats that Gillings had crocheted herself in the run-up to the Games.
Her mum, Jill, said: "To get into the semi-final was a fantastic result and it was lovely the amount of British support she had out here."
But back on the race course, and Jacobellis was taking on Ricker, and French duo Deborah Anthonioz and Nelly Moenne Loccoz in the second semi-final.
And there were gasps from the crowd as Jacobellis lost her balance as she challenged Ricker and crashed through a gate - her chance to put her Turin nightmare behind her gone.
The 24-year-old, who has dominated the sport over the last few years with World Championship and X Games golds, said afterwards: "When people think of snowboard cross they think of me, and that's a pretty good accomplishment.
"It's just unfortunate the rest of the world just sees this race and the one four years ago."
So, to the final and the stage was set for Ricker, who has been in outstanding form in the World Cup this season, winning three races so far, and determined to finish among the medals after placing fourth in Turin four years ago.
She blasted out of the start-gate and straight into a commanding lead which was never challenged.
With the noise from the crowd at deafening proportions, Ricker flew over the last
jump and sailed across the finish line with her arms raised for Canada's second gold.
There was no showboating, no drama, Ricker just pushed herself to the line and Olympic glory.
"I'm so overwhelmed, I can't believe it," the 31-year-old said.
"I was just thinking 'stay on your feet, absorb it and cross the line'."
Now that's how you win an Olympic gold, Lindsey.
Hi, I'm a senior broadcast journalist covering all sports, but have a particular passion for winter sports. Anything fast and furious like skiing and bobsleigh, and at the other end of the spectrum, the genteel world of cricket and curling. You can also follow me on 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~54~RS~)
Comments
The BBC crew can't seem to stop themselves mentioning "Lindsey Jacobellis" and "that Turin race" in the same breath. It's as if there's nothing else ever happened in the sport, and frankly it's a little disappointing. Yes, it was a big event and yes we all remember it, but is nothing else in the sport important?
Congratulations to the new Olympic champion and to the competitors - a really tough sport to compete in, especially as you don't see the skiiers going down the hill as many times in such as short space of time.
Complain about this comment
The snowboarding competition has been a highlight of the winter olympics so far but the coverage has been ruined by the poor quality of the commentation, The two commentators repeated themselves talked over one another, mumbled, erred and mmmmed, forgot competitors named and came accross totally inept. It made me ralise how essential it is to have high quality reporting on an event , I do hope you manage to find some other individual for furture coverage, perhaps a high level coach who can convery the technicalities to those of us whos knowlegde of the sport is limited by a few weeks on the slopes or who appreciate the sport from the comfort of their armchair. Come on BBC you must be able to do better - even Blue Peter had a better chap on years ago teaching that Connie Hqu woman.
Complain about this comment
Jordan, watch out for the skier cross (which I think is next week), same format as boarder cross and if anything even more manic!
Complain about this comment
When you've got so many of the competitors falling - men and women - that suggests to me that the course is stupidly, impossibly difficult. I heard that some of the girls cried when they first saw it, scared they wouldn't be able to do themselves justice. It's not snowboard cross any more - it's freestyle. Some of the jumps looked like ski jumps. You've got to ask why this has happened. Who designs the course? Are they even boarders themselves?
Complain about this comment
singinghannahj:
I have not heard many complaints about the course itself. Even competitors like Maltais and Jacobellis who crashed out had no complaints in that regard. There were a few extra falls because the snow conditions had turned slushy thanks to the recent rains, but that's it.
Complain about this comment
I know the Mens Downhill is meant to be 'the' event of the Winter games but I have been absolutely hooked on the snowboard x. It's been absorbing to watch, the format works well with the qualifying runs and then the finals. I couldn't help but laugh at a few of the falls only because I've been there myself and it's not fun! Great coverage, and I enjoyed the commentary on the contrary to some of the other comments. Ed's got a genuine passion for the sport and that really comes across. Roll on the half pipe..
Complain about this comment
Who was the BBC producer of the coverage of this event?...whoever it was certainly did a 'Jacobellis'...totally blowing it at the finishing line. A local girl, in front of an absolutely ecstatic Canadian crowd, the first female to win a Gold on home soil...what a story! - and?...we don't even see the medal presentation...instead, they cut to Hazel being drowned out by a sea-plane...Brilliant. Given that this so-called producer was only too happy too take the complete p**s out of Jacobellis throughout the coverage...I think we should be told!
Complain about this comment
I love this event...ever since doing my 1st winter season in the Alps 4 years ago watching in a bar with a load of boarders urging 'Jacobellis' to show boat over the last kicker.. only for her to smash the landing. Although she lost...it didn't seem to matter. It was the fact that she went for it in the 1st place. What a girl.. Can't wait for the Skier X either. I don't think there's a boarder/skier out there that wouldn't love to race their mates down one of those courses!!
If you think this course was hard...check out the X-Games from last month. Towards the end there was a mental step-up the defied belief, which a couple failed to make...smashing into the wall :).
Complain about this comment
I note from Anna Thompson's cv that she described herself as being sports editor of the Blackpool Evening Gazette.
Having worked on that paper's sports desk for 30 years, I think I would have noticed it if that was the case.
Or did I miss something?
Steve Simpson
Complain about this comment
Anna Thompson, Sports editor of the Blackpool Gazette? I don't think so - unless I was off that day.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
View these comments in RSS