Within seconds of victory, the hashtag was already trending: #MooreGold. Colten Moore had just kicked off the 19th edition of the Winter X Games with a Snowmobile Speed and Style gold medal Thursday night in Aspen.
Moore captured the attention of a nation in 2014 after winning Snowmobile Freestyle a year after his brother, Caleb, died following a tragic accident in the same event. Colten Moore is quickly becoming one of the sport’s biggest superstars. With his flowing locks, supernatural grace in the air and raw passion, he proved last year was no fluke. He is a force to be reckoned with.
However, victory did not come easily on a mind-numbingly cold Colorado night. Moore’s biggest challenger came in the form of veteran superstar Levi LaVallee, the defending gold medalist in an event making its first appearance in four years.
The two went head-to-head in the semifinals. LaVallee had the edge when it came to Speed, but the judges made it clear Style was the more important of the two, awarding Moore a controversial 87.75-87 victory. While some voiced their displeasure on social media following the decision, Moore left no doubt in the gold medal run, claiming a commanding 90.62-83 decision over Joe Parsons.
“I can’t even explain how awesome this is right now,” Moore told ESPN cameras immediately after claiming gold. “I’m just pumped. I give this to Caleb again.”
The hotly contested Snowmobile Speed & Style event set the stage for more high-octane action to come. Unlike past years, there is a snowmobile event each day at Winter X Games.
Today, LaVallee attempts to defend his gold medal in the Snowmobile Long Jump at 9:30 p.m. CST. Saturday marks the return of Snowmobile Hillcross after a 10-year absence, where LaVallee is also the defending champion. And Sunday is Snowmobile SnoCross, where the dominating Tucker Hibbert attempts to capture an X Games record 8-peat.
Stay tuned to this blog for more updates and pictures!
By Robert Ebert, BVK