Sage Kotsenburg, Chas Guldemond and Ty Walker joined the U.S. Olympic Team in snowboard slopestyle at the final selection event in Mammoth Mountain, Calif., on Saturday.
Kotsenburg won the men’s event with a 95.4-first run tally. Guldemond was sixth but wrapped up a berth via previous strong results. Likewise, Walker was fifth in the women’s event but made it via a tiebreaker.
“It’s been since I was 10 years old since I won something,” said Kotsenburg, 20. “I’m so stoked. It’s crazy.”
Kotsenburg and Guldemond join Shaun White on the U.S. Olympic Team in slopestyle. They’re all medal contenders but also looking up at gold-medal favorite Mark McMorris from Canada.
Kotsenburg is a Winter X Games silver and bronze medalist. Guldemond won X Games bronze in 2010.
“It’s been so much hard work and sacrifice to get to this point,” Guldemond said. “I’m exhausted from all these qualifying events.”
White won four straight X Games titles from 2003-06. McMorris is the two-time reigning X Games champion.
Walker, 16, joined gold-medal favorite Jamie Anderson on the women’s team.
One more man and two more women could be named to the U.S. Olympic Team in snowboard slopestyle via discretionary selections. The top candidates are Ryan Stassel and Kyle Mack for the men and Karly Shorr, Jessika Jenson and Jordie Karlinski for the women.
