Old-stagers rolling back the years

A six-time world champion and 10-time X Games winner, Jacobellis ended her 16-year wait for a gold in the women's snowboard cross in her fifth Games.

At 36 years, 174 days, she became the oldest snowboard gold medalist, surpassing Benjamin Karl of Austria, who was 36 years, 115 days when he won the Beijing 2022 parallel giant slalom a day earlier.

At Turin 2006, Jacobellis famously missed out on gold by celebrating too early, attempting a backside air move which saw her slip and gift gold to Swiss Tanja Frieden.

Asked if she would have triumphed in Beijing were it not for her Turin mishap, Jacobellis replied: "Probably not, and I probably would have quit the sport at that point because I wasn't really having fun with it.

"There was so much pressure on me to be the golden girl. I'd won so many races going into it and it's a lot for a young athlete to have on their plate."

Fontana became the most decorated short-track speed skater of all time after claiming her ninth Olympic medal with a 2,000m mixed team relay silver at Beijing 2022. She then extended that record with gold in the women's 500m.

Fontana won her first Olympic medal 16 years ago, in the women's 3,000m relay at Turin 2006.

"I've been around for a long time," said Fontana after breaking a medal-tally tie with Apolo Ohno and Victor An (Ahn Hyun-soo). "They were great when they skated, and that will never change. Just a different era."

Having recovered from a serious knee injury, the all-time leading FIS World Cup winner is making her fourth Olympic appearance. She was a world champion in 2013 and a silver medalist at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Xu registered the 26th World Cup victory of her career in Ruka, Finland last December, moving clear of Australian legend Jacqui Copper in the all-time list for most victories on the circuit.

On Thursday, she helped China to silver in the mixed team aerials, an event that is debuting at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Photos by AFP, Reuters and AP