Veteran US snowboarder Nick Baumgartner was denied a shot at an Olympic medal in agonizing fashion on Thursday.
Baumgartner, 44, failed to advance to the snowboard cross final in Livigno after getting over the line just 0.08 seconds behind Austria’s Alessandro Hammerle in a dramatic semifinal.
The final is determined by holding two four-rider semifinals, with the top two finishers in each progressing to the all-important decider.
Hammerle pipped Baumgartner to second place in their semifinal, with Eliot Grondin of Canada coming first.
It meant the American snowboarder , who won a mixed team gold at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, was forced to watch on a spectator when the final took place shortly after.
And to rub salt in the wounds, it was Hammerle who went on to claim the gold after their photo finish in the semifinal.
More to follow.
US snowboarder Nick Baumgartner was denied a shot at an Olympic medal in brutal fashion