2026 winter olympics men's snowboarding slopestyle: Red Gerard chases redemption and a place in history

Red Gerard arrived in Italy this month with a mix of old memories and new objectives. The American, who shot to fame at 17 after an improbable gold medal in Pyeongchang, is focused on the slopestyle course that still defines his career. After a frustrating run in Beijing and a gritty but unwanted appearance in big air qualifying, Gerard wants more than a medal — he wants to rewrite the narrative around his Olympic legacy.

From a Netflix binge to Olympic gold: the Pyeongchang surprise

Gerard's first Olympic triumph reads like a sports fairy tale. As a teenager in 2018 he stayed up the night before the final, binge-watching a comedy with a friend and oversleeping the next morning. In the scramble to reach the venue he borrowed that friend's oversized jacket — a piece of clothing that hung down to his thighs — and still managed to vault from 11th to first on his final run. He won gold by more than a point and became the youngest Winter Olympic champion since 1928.

That unexpected victory turned a previously obscure snowboarder into a fleeting celebrity. Gerard describes the period that followed with a mixture of bemusement and humility: fame lasted for a moment, then life and competition carried on. The slopestyle title, however, remained the defining achievement that he keeps returning to as inspiration and as unfinished business.

Beijing bitterness, Italian resolve and the road to a second title

The 2022 Games brought a different experience. Arriving as defending champion, Gerard encountered judging outcomes that left him disillusioned and frustrated. The subjective nature of judged snowboarding proved painful; he called the experience "heartbreaking" and said the inconsistency in scoring was one of the most trying aspects of the sport.

This month in Italy, Gerard's early Games schedule included big air qualifying, where he placed 20th — an event he has made clear he dislikes and only entered because the program requires slopestyle contenders to also compete in big air. He expressed disdain for the mandatory crossover, saying he prefers to concentrate on slopestyle, the discipline that suits his strengths and that launched his Olympic story.

At 25, Gerard is now chasing a milestone no snowboarder has achieved: a second Olympic gold in slopestyle. The feat would make him the first to claim Olympic slopestyle gold twice and would represent both personal redemption and a strong answer to the doubts raised after Beijing. The stakes in Italy are therefore both historic and deeply personal.

What to expect on the slopestyle course

Gerard brings to the course a relaxed demeanor born of backyard sessions with his brothers and a love for the tricks and lines that made him a household name in snowboarding circles. He has the park instincts and contest experience that can produce big scores, but slopestyle remains a judged discipline where fine margins and subjective impressions can swing results.

Judging will once again be under scrutiny; Gerard is well aware of the sport's vagaries. For his part, he has taken the criticism and disappointment of past Games and turned them into motivation for Italy. Whether he will repeat the youthful magic of Pyeongchang or forge a more polished, strategic path to victory remains the central storyline heading into the finals.

One thing is certain: no alarm clock will be necessary for Gerard this time. The combination of experience, a clear target and the chance to make history has him focused and ready when the slopestyle gates open.