Squamish can celebrate its first ever Olympic gold medal as snowboarder Maelle Ricker crossed the snowboard cross finish line to a roaring home crowd at Cypress Mountain on Tuesday (Feb. 16).
Chants of "Maelle, Maelle" came from family, friends and fans packing the bleachers as Ricker hoisted the Canadian flag with a huge smile. The 31-year-old won all three heats to take Canada's second ever gold medal on home soil.
"Once I got into the final, the course was just getting more and more fun to ride and I was able to focus on getting out of the gate first," said Ricker, adding that the home support provided a big boost.
"It was so, so fun. There's so many people behind us, so many Canadians watching and having a great time. I'm just really happy and proud to be a part of it."
Heavy fog delayed the competition two hours and riders struggled through the qualification runs with many crashing, including Ricker. But she refocused and recorded the third best time in her second qualification run on her way to winning gold with the late afternoon sun peaking through the trees.
She said she embraced the rough weather that started the day.
"I'm a West Coast girl so I absolutely love bad weather. It's in my blood, so I woke up this morning saw the rain and fog and actually got a huge smile on my face," she said.
The win comes four years after Ricker crashed in the Olympic snowboard cross final in Turin and was taken to hospital by helicopter with a concussion.
"Turin was such a motivator for me. It just made me work that much harder and just go for it today," she said.
France's Deborah Anthonioz won silver and Switzerland's Olivia Nobs earned bronze, while Norway's Helene Olafsen placed fourth.
Montreal's Dominique Maltais failed to advance after crashing in both qualifiers.
