Anderson Earns 18th X Games Medal; Henricksen Takes Knuckle Huck Gold

Double-Olympic gold medalist and the most decorated woman in X Games history Jamie Anderson earned her 18th X Games Medal, her seventh gold in snowboard slopestyle, Friday at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo. 

The oldest in the women’s snowboard slopestyle field at 30 years-old, Anderson continues to find the drive and push her limits. 

“I think I’m continuously motivated by all the girls I ride with,” said Anderson. “I don’t know when I’m going to retire. I kind of thought this might be my last season. I don’t know! I’m taking things one day at a time and mixing it up. We don’t have a lot of events this year, so I feel really happy to be here and to try to ride my best.”
 

For someone who mentioned they are on the tail end of their competitive career, her weekend schedule doesn’t resemble that of an athlete who is winding down. Slopestyle was the beginning of a hectic X Games program for Anderson. She’s the only woman snowboarder competing in three disciplines including slopestyle, big air, and knuckle huck. Funnily enough, according to X Games, the last woman that competed in three snowboard disciplines at a single X Games was Anderson half her life ago at 15 years old. 

Throughout all of this, she remains humble, grounded, and an advocate for women’s snowboarding. 

“I’m honestly speechless,” said Anderson immediately following the competition. “I feel grateful and so proud of all of the girls. Zoe’s (Sadowski-Synott) last run was flawless and all the riders continue to inspire me. After all, I can’t believe we are here in the middle of a global pandemic. We definitely missed the fans, but it was definitely a bit more chill, which I actually like. Less work and obligations, just sleep, eat, and snowboard.”

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synott finished second and Canadian Laurie Blouin rounded out the podium in third. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Julia Marino just missed the podium finishing in fourth place. Teammate Hailey Langland did not start due to a crash in training. 

Later in the evening, Dusty Henricksen earned knuckle huck gold in his first-ever X Games appearance. Henricksen will ring his 18th birthday on Monday with some new hardware courtesy of X Games. 

"I didn't think things were going to go my way tonight, but I am so stoked they did," said Henricksen still in awe. "It was amazing to kick-off my first X Games experience with an event that's all about having fun."
 

X Games snowboard action continues tomorrow with men’s slopestyle, women’s big air, and women’s snowboard superpipe. Tune in to watch your favorite U.S. Snowboard Team athletes as they pursue X Games glory. 

REPLAYS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Snowboard knuckle huck

RESULTS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Snowboard knuckle huck
 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Saturday, Jan. 30
1:00 p.m. - Women’s ski slopestyle, men’s snowboard slopestyle, women’s snowboard big air, women’s ski big air** - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:00 p.m. - Men’s ski big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s snowboard superpipe, men’s ski big air* - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 31
1:00 p.m. - Men’s ski slopestyle, women’s snowboard slopestyle**, Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Men’s snowboard superpipe, men’s snowboard big air, ski knuckle huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

FOLLOW
Instagram - @ussnowboardteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard

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