Arielle Gold, the 2018 Olympic women’s halfpipe snowboarding bronze medalist, announced her retirement on Tuesday.
Gold, 25, bumped legend Kelly Clark off the podium in PyeongChang with an 85.75-point final run that included a frontside 1080. She competed after dislocating her shoulder days before.
“I went into my second Olympic Games perceived as an underdog,” Gold said, according to U.S. Ski and Snowboard. “Few people anticipated that I would even make the Olympic team, but I think their doubts only fed into my motivation and allowed me to focus on having fun riding without any external pressure.”
In 2014, Gold qualified for her first Olympics but pulled out after dislocating her right shoulder in a practice crash.
Gold, who won the 2013 World title at age 16, last competed in 2019. In 2020, she was sidelined by a reported concussion.
She is pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine.
Olympic champion Chloe Kim and Maddie Mastro, who was 12th in PyeongChang, are the U.S.’ top halfpipe riders as the Winter Games approach in February.
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The Sapporo 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic bid will reportedly undergo a review that may include a nationwide survey asking the public whether it wants to host the Games, the Sapporo mayor and the Japanese Olympic Committee announced in a press conference Tuesday.
The bid “will be pausing active promotion,” according to a Reuters interpretation of Japanese media reports.
The decisions were made in response to two factors, according to Japanese reports: the IOC announcing two weeks ago that the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic host decision will be delayed beyond next summer. Plus, the recent investigation into corruption related to Tokyo being awarded the 2020 Summer Games back in 2013.
Sapporo mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said officials have not given up on the 2030 bid, the priority is to gain public support and that the will of the people will be respected, according to reports.
Last March, Hokkaido residents were surveyed regarding Sapporo hosting the 2030 Winter Games. Sapporo, the 1972 Winter Olympic host, is the capital of the island of Hokkaido. By mail, 52.2 percent said they supported it. Online, that number was 56.5 percent. In person, it was 65.5 percent support.
A possible follow-up survey would be broader, possibly nationwide, Akimoto reportedly said Tuesday.
There are three interested parties for the 2030 Winter Games, the IOC said on Dec. 6 without naming them. Previously, Salt Lake City, Sapporo and Vancouver were confirmed as bids. Then in October, the British Columbia government said it would not support a Vancouver bid, a major setback, though organizers did not say that decision ended the bid.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has said it prefers 2034 for Salt Lake City, but can step in for 2030 if asked.
Italy will host the next Winter Games in 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
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NBC Sports and Peacock combine to air live coverage of the 2022-23 Alpine skiing season, including races on the World Cup, which starts this weekend.
Coverage begins with the traditional season-opening giant slaloms in Soelden, Austria, this Saturday and Sunday, streaming live on Peacock.
The first of four stops in the U.S. — the most in 26 years — is Thanksgiving weekend with a women’s giant slalom and slalom in Killington, Vermont. The men’s tour visits Beaver Creek, Colorado the following week, as well as Palisades Tahoe, California, and Aspen, Colorado after worlds in Courchevel and Meribel, France.
NBC Sports platforms will broadcast all four U.S. stops in the Alpine World Cup season, plus four more World Cups in other ski and snowboard disciplines. All Alpine World Cups in Austria will stream live on Peacock.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who last year won her fourth World Cup overall title, is the headliner. Shiffrin, who has 74 career World Cup race victories, will try to close the gap on the only Alpine skiers with more: Lindsey Vonn (82) and Ingemar Stenmark (86). Shiffrin won an average of five times per season the last three years and is hopeful of racing more often this season.
On the men’s side, 25-year-old Swiss Marco Odermatt returns after becoming the youngest man to win the overall, the biggest annual prize in ski racing, since Marcel Hirscher won the second of his record eight in a row in 2013.
2022-23 Alpine Skiing World Cup Broadcast Schedule
Schedule will be added to as the season progresses. All NBC Sports TV coverage also streams live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
*Delayed broadcast.
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