Red Gerard: A Shot at Olympic Glory

Redmond “Red” Gerard started snowboarding almost as soon as he could walk, moving from Ohio to Summit County, Colorado, and building backyard rails with his siblings. By 17, he stunned the world at PyeongChang 2018, winning men’s slopestyle and becoming the youngest Olympic snowboarding champion in history as well as Team USA’s first gold of those Games. Four years later, Gerard came within a whisker of another Olympic medal, reaching 4th in slopestyle and 5th in big air at Beijing 2022. These results sharpened his edge for the next cycle. 

The in-between years have been about consistency and bigger tricks under pressure. He  cracked the X Games code with slopestyle gold in 2024 and defended the title in 2025 at Aspen, beating a field stacked with serial medalists. Those wins, plus steady World Cup form, established him as a clutch closer. 

Snowboarding at Milano Cortina is slated for Livigno’s Snow Park and Mottolino which is the purpose-built stage for slopestyle and big air. Published schedules place big-air finals in the first Games week and slopestyle mid-Games, giving all-around riders two medal looks on different timelines. 

NBC’s 2025 profile noted Gerard has secured his place for 2026 via rankings, positioning him as the top American on the World Snowboard Points List heading into the Olympic season. Milano Cortina is the sequel he’s been building toward: same effortless style, higher difficulty, and a venue built for riders who know how to finish.