Filipino American Hailey Langland will be one of three Americans competing in the snowboard slopestyle finals at the Beijing Olympics tonight, February 5.
She qualified Friday with a score of 68.71, according to USA Today.
“On my first jump, my heart was just beating faster and faster with every passing minute. It’s hard to keep yourself calm while watching all these other girls land runs,” said Langland, 21.
Heavy reports her mother Michelle is Filipino American. Her father Geoff is White. He introduced his daughter to the sport at the age of 5. They moved from San Clemente, CA to Big Bear when she was 10.
Beijing is the first Olympics using 100 percent artificial snow with the help of 100 snow generators and 300 snow cannons. The athletes competed under adverse conditions with temperatures at -4.72 degrees Fahrenheit and strong wind gusts.
“That was pretty gnarly so I’m happy to be walking away in one piece,” Langland said about the conditions to Reuters.
The other Americans to go on to the finals are 31-year-old Jamie Anderson who is defending her title from the 2018 Sochi games. She placed fifth with teammate Julia Marino right behind her in sixth place.
Langland won her first gold medal at the X Games in 2017 landing a “cab 1080 double cork”, a first in the women’s competition. Langland came in sixth in slopestyle at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story, or making a contribution.