Winter Olympics: redemption in defeat for Jacobellis

As Lindsey Jacobellis lost control and slid out of her snowboard cross semi-final last night, one of the most-hyped stories of the 2010 Winter Olympics had ended in anti-climax. This was supposed to have been the American’s great chance for Redemption after infamously missing out on gold in 2006 when a showy board-grab saw her botch a landing within sight of the finish. But Jacobellis, one of the big favourites for 2010 gold, had blown it again – all the more gallingly for her as the manner in which Canada’s impressive Maelle Ricker breezed through the competition to victory perhaps suggested this was not a field with overwhelming strength in depth. Yet this was not quite the end of the story. Just moments after the semis the racers were convened for the Small Final – an endearing but essentially superfluous run-off for minor placings between losing semi-finalists staged before the Big Final medals race. That Jacobellis found it in herself to make it to the start-line and complete this run so soon after such a crushing failure arguably said as much for her character and competitive spirit as winning the gold would have done. A case of redemption in defeat, you might say.