The very best athletes know that a bit of showboating
can serve as a warning to their rivals.
It sends a stark message -
they can win with gas in the tank.
Sometimes they get away with it,
but sometimes the universe treats us
to a delicious slice of instant karma.
At the Turin Olympic Winter Games,
that karma came in the tiny town of Bardonecchia,
home of the snowboarding competition.
Snowboarding is a relatively young Winter Olympic sport,
arriving on the scene in 1998 -
and snowboard cross didn't make its debut until 2006.
In some ways, the relaxed, cool image of snowboarding
is at odds with the traditional attitudes
associated with elite-level sport.
It's seen by outsiders as a sport
for creative, expressive athletes,
not hyper-efficient robots.
Stars like Lindsey Jacobellis
were out to prove that sport can still be fun,
even when the stakes are at their highest.
Well, that was the theory, anyway.
Jacobellis came into the 2006 Olympic Games
as reigning World Champion of the snowboard cross.
The format of snowboard cross is simple -
navigate the course as quickly as possible.
It's a race to the finish line,
with no points on offer for style -
that bit's important. No points for style.
At just 20 years old, Jacobellis was clear favourite
for the gold medal,
and her route to the final was comfortable.
When the big day came around,
it seemed like business as usual.
Jacobellis quickly raced out to a huge lead.
Riders ready? Attention.
And they're off at the start.
Jacobellis closest to the camera
in the white pinstripes...
..and she's looking for an inside line,
and she's got it,
and she's going to come out of this turn in the lead...
and, whoops, there's a faller -
and that looked like the Canadian Ricker who's down.
And a little bit of a problem, there,
for Maltais, the other Canadian.
Jacobellis with a comfortable lead right now.
Maltais and Frieden - and Maltais has gone!
She's off the course.
Going into the penultimate jump,
she was ahead of Switzerland's Tanja Frieden by a huge margin.
If she stayed on her board, the gold medal was hers.
What happened next
became one of the most infamous moments
in the history of the Olympic Winter Games.
So, just two jumps to go - and Jacobellis is down!
Jacobellis has fallen.
It looked like a moment of indecision, there,
and Tanja Frieden from Switzerland has passed her,
and is going to get the gold medal.
What a heartbreak for Jacobellis.
What was she thinking in the air with just two jumps to go?
As she had gone over the penultimate jump,
Jacobellis had attempted a method grab - a simple move
where the rider grabs the heel side of the board
during a rotation.
Easy enough - but this was a strange time to try it.
Why even attempt it?
It was, in her own words, to "improve her stability".
Look closely - that method grab was definitely necessary.
For stability.
Stability?!
It was a baffling decision.
Onlookers were shocked.
Stand by for a technically perfect facepalm
from US coach Peter Foley.
Jacobellis later revealed to reporters that
"Snowboarding is fun - I was having fun."
Fun?
At just 20 years old,
Jacobellis would have plenty of chances
to avenge her nightmare,
but the ghost of Turin continued to follow her,
and her fortunes faded
whenever the biggest stage arrived.
In the 2010 Vancouver games she arrived as the favourite,
but was disqualified in the semifinal
after hitting a gate.
And she's hit the gate.
Jacobellis is out!
She entered the 2014 Sochi Games
as a favourite for the gold.
This time, she fell in her semifinal run.
And she's down again!
The nightmare continues for Jacobellis.
Incredibly, the four-time World Champion
is yet to win Olympic gold.
Sometimes the silver medallist can be forgotten -
but nobody will forget who came second
in the women's snowboard cross in 2006.