Feb. 8 (UPI) — Austria’s Benjamin Karl and Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecka won gold medals in the parallel giant snowboard slalom in Beijing on Tuesday.
Karl won gold in the final race of the men’s tournament at Genting Snow Park P & X Stadium, beating Slovenia’s Tim Mastnak by a mere 0.82 seconds, adding the hardware to the silver medal he won in Vancouver in 2010 and the bronze he earned at Sochi in 2014.
For Mastnak, it was his first Olympic appearance and medal.
The bronze the event on Tuesday would go to Victor Wild of the Russian Olympic Committee as he beat Italian Roland Fischnaller who failed to finish the race.
On the women’s side, Ledecka, the reigning parallel giant slalom champion, defended her title, beating Austria’s Daniela Ulbing who earned silver in failing to complete the race.
“It was fun,” I was trying to be consistent and just staying in my line with what I was doing the whole day,” Ledecka told reporters following the gold medal race. “I made a good job.”
She now holds three gold medals, including one from Pyeongchang in skiing the super-G, and is the most decorated Czech Olympian in history.
The bronze was won by Slovenia’s Gloria Kotnik who bested Michelle Dekker of the Netherlands for the last spot on the podium.
It is Kotnik’s first medal in four Olympic appearances.
