Maelle Ricker became the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold on home ground when she claimed victory in the snowboard cross on Tuesday.
Two days after Alexandre Bilodeau’s win in the men’s moguls freestyle had ended the hosts’ long, painful wait for an Olympic title after two barren campaigns in Montreal in 1976 and Calgary 1988, Ricker made up for the disappointment she suffered in Turin four years ago.
At those Games, she crashed in the final and was treated in hospital for concussion.
France’s Deborah Anthonioz took silver while Olivia Nobs of Switzerland claimed bronze.
“I tried to explode out of the gate. I really wanted to get out of that gate as fast as I can,” said 31-year-old Ricker, a native of Vancouver, and the current World Cup leader.
“It was really, really hard today to get a clean run all the way down the course, but I just held on and did my best. I was really just focusing on doing the run going through.”
The event proved one to forget again for American rider Lindsey Jacobellis, who lost gold in Turin when, celebrating too early, she fell and had to be content with silver
On Tuesday, she fumbled a landing off the first jump in the semi-final and missed a gate.
World champion Helene Olafsen of Norway was edged out of the podium, crashing in the middle part of the course when she was fighting with Nobs for the silver medal.

source: www.vancouver2010.com