CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The first time, it was sheer disbelief. Red Gerard wasn’t merely stunned he’d won an Olympic medal. He was stunned he’d even qualified for an Olympic final.
Back in Pyeongchang 2018, Gerard was a fresh-faced 17-year-old who didn’t know any better. He stayed up the night before the snowboard slopestyle final binging Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix with a friend, then overslept the next morning. In the rush to make it on time, he borrowed said friend’s jacket—two sizes too big, hanging down to his thighs.
No matter. He vaulted from 11th to first on his final run, winning gold by over a point and becoming the youngest American snowboarder—and the youngest Winter Olympian since 1928—to claim gold.
“It wasn’t really supposed to happen,” Gerard recalled eight years later. “It was just a complete surprise.”
The Heartbreak of Beijing
The second Olympics brought a different kind of disbelief. Gerard arrived in Beijing 2022 as the defending champion, at the top of his game, aiming for a second straight gold. He finished fourth.
The frustration lingered. Gerard and other snowboarders voiced displeasure with what they deemed inconsistent judging. He called the experience “heartbreaking.”
“A little politics behind it,” he said. “But that’s kind of what we deal with. … I was bummed for a couple of days as well. That’s the most frustrating thing about our sport, that it’s judged, and every competition, whether it’s 30 or 60 riders, no one’s going to agree on the way it was judged.”
No Alarm Needed in Italy
Now 25, the Silverthorne, Colorado native has traded teenage carelessness for seasoned focus. He placed 11th in Sunday’s qualification round, securing a spot in Wednesday’s final at the Livigno Snow Park.
“I’m older, maybe a little wiser,” he said with a grin. “Definitely setting an alarm this time.”
Gerard will be joined by fellow Coloradans Jake Canter (Silverthorne) and Ollie Martin (Vail), who qualified 10th and 6th respectively. The final airs live at 3:20 a.m. MT Wednesday on Peacock and USA Network.
For Gerard, this run isn’t about surprise or expectation. It’s about redemption—and proving that eight years later, he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.
