Lindsey Jacobellis endured heartbreak at the 2006 Torino Games. The Sochi Games had an awfully similar result on Sunday when she crashed out in the women’s snowboard cross semifinals, denying her a chance at that elusive gold.
A look at the U.S. athlete after the crash is below.
She did get back on the board, though, winning the small final of the event.
Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines covered swimming together at the last six Olympics, including every one of Michael Phelps‘ finals, but they’ve never called a “race” quite like this.
“We heard you were looking for something to commentate during the down time….might this short short short course 100 IM help?” tweeted Cathleen Pruden, posting a video of younger sister Mary Pruden, a sophomore swimmer at Columbia University, taking individual medley strokes in what appeared to be an inflatable backyard pool.
“Hang on,” Gaines replied. “This race of the century deserves the right call. @DanHicksNBC and I are working some magic!”
Later, Hicks posted a revised video dubbed with commentary from he and Gaines.
They became the latest commentators to go beyond the booth to post calls on social media while sports are halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
NBC Sports hockey voice Doc Emrick (who has also called Olympic hockey and water polo) did play-by-play of a windshield wiper installation.
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MORE: Ledecky, Manuel welcome Olympic decision after training in backyard pool
Follow @nbcolympictalkIt was an honor for me & @rowdygaines Good luck @catpruden48 ! pic.twitter.com/DaoAacr55Z
— Dan Hicks (@DanHicksNBC) March 30, 2020
Soon after Tokyo Olympic qualifying events began getting postponed, the International Olympic Committee announced that all quota places already allocated to National Olympic Committees and athletes will remain with those NOCs and athletes.
The IOC repeated that position over the last week, after the Tokyo Games were postponed (now to open July 23, 2021). What does that mean for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee?
Well, 76 athletes qualified for the U.S. Olympic team before the Olympic postponement was announced. That full list is here.
Those 76 athletes can be separated into two categories.
When the IOC says “all quota places already allocated to National Olympic Committees and athletes will remain with those NOCs and athletes,” it means just that. USA Softball still has 15 athlete quota spots from qualifying a full team via international results. Surfer Kolohe Andino still has his Olympic spot from qualifying BY NAME via the International Surfing Association selection procedures route.
USA Softball named its 15-player Olympic roster last fall. Those 15 athletes did not earn Olympic quota spots for themselves. Unlike Andino (and 13 other American qualifiers across all sports), the 15 softball players had to be nominated by USA Softball and confirmed by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Unless and until the USOPC confirms that any of those other 62 athletes remain qualified, for now the list of U.S. Olympic qualifiers is these 14 who qualified BY NAME:
Karate (1)
Sakura Kokumai
Modern Pentathlon (2)
Samantha Achterberg
Amro Elgeziry
Swimming (3)
Haley Anderson
Ashley Twichell
Jordan Wilimovsky
Sport Climbing (4)
Kyra Condie
Brooke Raboutou
Nathaniel Coleman
Colin Duffy
Surfing (4)
Caroline Marks
Carissa Moore
Kolohe Andino
John John Florence
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MORE: Qualified athletes go into limbo with Tokyo postponement
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