Snowboarder Red Gerard won the United States' first gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics in slopestyle snowboarding on Sunday.
The 17-year-old from Silverthorne, Colorado defeated Canadians Max Parrot and Mark McMorris for the top spot. He drilled his third and final run on the chilly but sun-splashed course at Phoenix Snow Park. His score of 87.16 was just enough to edge Parrot.
Gerard is the second straight American to win slopestyle, which made its Olympic debut four years ago. In Sochi, American Sage Kotsenburg was the surprise winner. Gerard looks up to Kotsenburg, not for his medal but for his style.
With Kotsenburg retired from competitive snowboarding, Gerard took the mantle for U.S. riders. He was the only one to make the final full of Canadians and Norwegians, with both their full teams qualifying through.
The 17-year-old from Silverthorne, Colo. is the youngest American to medal in a snowboard event at the Olympics, according to a tweet from the U.S. Olympic Team.
In Sunday's final, Gerard had falls on his first two runs and was 11th out of 12 riders after scoring 43.33 and 46.40.
Gerard will compete in snowboarding's big air event later in the Games.
Contributing: USA Today, Associated Press
