ROSA KHUTOR, Russia (Feb. 12) – Team USA athlete Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID) earned the halfpipe snowboarding gold medal while teammate Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT) took bronze Wednesday night during a fierce firefight in the Rosa Khutor halfpipe. Clark has now medaled in the last three out of four Olympic Winter Games and has collected more Olympic medals than any other snowboarder in history with two her bronze and one gold. The riveting final will be featured on NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. EST and can be streamed in its entirety on NBCOlympics.com.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Team USA athlete Kaitlyn Farrington (Sun Valley, ID) earned the halfpipe snowboarding gold medal while teammate Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT) took bronze Wednesday night during a fierce firefight in the Rosa Khutor halfpipe.
• Clark has now medaled in the last three out of four Olympic Winter Games and has collected more Olympic medals than any other snowboarder in history with two her bronze and one gold.
• Three Americans landed in the top four with Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT) finishing fourth after getting bumped off the podium by Clark’s progressive second run that included a huge frontside 1080. The 2010 gold medalist and Australian halfpipe force Torah Bright won the silver medal.
• Team USA halfpipe snowboarding athlete Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO) didn’t compete in the day’s event after falling in a training run and suffering a shoulder injury just prior to the start of heat two of qualifications.
• Farrington’s gold medal run: Pop tart, switch backside 720, backside 900, alley-oop 540, backside 540, frontside 720.
• The riveting women’s final will be featured on NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. EST and can be streamed in its entirety on NBCOlympics.com.
• The snowboarding medal events continue Sunday Feb. 16 with women’s snowboardcross qualifications and finals, where Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT) will fight for her second Olympic medal.

QUOTES
Kaitlyn Farrington
I can’t believe it. I come out to each contest and I try to do a different run and that’s my approach to it. Sitting at the bottom I was stoked I landed my run and once I knew I was going to be on the podium I was happy. I was hoping to make the finals, that was my main goal, and then during finals I thought if I land a good run I might be on the podium. So to come out on top–I just can’t believe it.

I can’t believe I was sitting there in front of the last three gold medalists. It’s crazy. Snowboarding is changing so much. It’s anybody’s game on any day.

I used to do swim team when I was a kid and my coach used to tell me to ‘cowgirl up,’ and it was just kind of this theme of everything. I grew up on a ranch in Idaho and so that’s just the other girls’ joke with me, to ‘cowgirl up.’

This is Kelly’s fourth Olympics and she’s such an inspiration to all of us girls. She was the first lady to land a frontside 1080 and she just keeps pushing the sport. She’s such a strong rider and she’s been killing it all year. She’s an amazing person as well and she’s coached us young kids through this whole process and it’s been great.

Kelly Clark
I’m pretty excited for the medals ceremony. If I didn’t win, I’m glad someone from the U.S. did because we’re going to get to see our flag raised and hear our national anthem.

It was much easier for me to have the rest today. I was really hoping to make it straight through to finals because I know I’m much better rested. But I talked to Kaitlyn last night and she said, ‘I’m going to plan on riding all day.’ And I’m like, ‘Great. It’ll be bonus if you don’t have to.’ But she rode all day and still put it down. It’s awesome to see.

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