The Gold Standard, Day 4: Don’t try this at home

Photo via Instagram (@buhsch)

It may not be possible to catch all the best moments in a single day of the Olympic Games, but we’re going to try. Every day, we’ll award medals for standout achievements at (and around) Pyeongchang 2018 and feats that may or may not be recognized on the podium (and may or may not even be of an athletic nature).

Day 4 of the Olympic Winter Games featured some Canadian history, a birthday celebration and a few awesome stunts that took Twitter by storm.

Gold medal creating a new Olympic sport…

Goes to Swiss freestyle skier Fabian Bösch, who should consider prefacing all future videos with a big “don’t try this at home” disclaimer. The second-time Olympian posted this awesome video of his oh-so-casual one-handed escalator ride to Instagram on Monday, and things um… escalated pretty quickly. (Sorry.)

After 20 years I still couldn’t figure out how these things work! Am I doing it right?: @jonashunziker

33.8k Likes, 1,152 Comments – Fabian Bösch (@buhsch) on Instagram: “After 20 years I still couldn’t figure out how these things work! Am I doing it right?:…”

Bösch will compete in an actual sport on Feb. 17, when the men’s ski slopestyle qualifications begin at 8 p.m. ET. In the meantime, we’ll be seeing him on social media.

It’s an honor to represent Switzerland at the Olympics! I wanna thank everyone who supported me over the past couple of years and made this possible! Looking forward to show my skiing to the world #fürsvaterland #nstg #dowhatyoucant: @swissfreeski

7,440 Likes, 24 Comments – Fabian Bösch (@buhsch) on Instagram: “It’s an honor to represent Switzerland at the Olympics! I wanna thank everyone who supported me…”

Gold medal for (almost) perfection…

Goes to U.S. snowboarder Shaun White, who scored an incredible 98.5 (yup, that’s out of 100) to qualify for the men’s halfpipe final in style.

People lost their minds over it:

It feels like White has been competing in the Olympic Games forever, doesn’t it? The 31-year-old two-time gold medallist (2006, 2010) is one of the most recognizable faces on the snowboarding scene. Though he didn’t land on the podium in Sochi 2014, he looks poised to get back there in Pyeongchang.

The men’s final begins Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Between White’s run and the incredible gold-medal performance of Chloe Kim in the women’s halfpipe event, it was certainly a great day for the United States on the slopes.

Gold medal for perseverance…

Goes to Alex Gough, who made history when she won won bronze in women’s luge—just as our very own Kristina Rutherford predicted.

Gough, who has now competed in four Olympic Games, has a history of heartbreak with a series of fourth-place finishes. Canada was almost awarded a bronze from Sochi after news the Russian doping scandal broke, but that was recently overturned.

This one though? This is for real.

Gold medal for always giving the best birthday gifts…

Goes to Canadian women’s hockey player Meghan Agosta, who scored a goal and added an assist to help Team Canada defeat Finland 4-1 in round-robin play. It didn’t take long — just 35 seconds into the game was all she needed.

Agosta turned 31 on Feb. 12. (OK, technically, this game was on Feb. 13… but hey, with the 14-hour time difference, it was almost still her birthday back home… so we’re counting it.) Agosta scored a birthday hat trick during her first Olympic tournament in Turin 2006, and scored again on her big day at Vancouver 2010.

We shouldn’t be surprised — when you’re one of the world’s most talented players and your birthday falls in February, you’re bound to celebrate it on the scoreboard. She is now No. 2 in all-time Olympic goals by a woman, three behind Hayley Wickenheiser.

Next up for Team Canada: the United States. The puck drops Wednesday at 10:10 p.m. ET.

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