Between the icy air and Olympic pressure, you might expect athletes to bundle up at the Milano Cortina Games – but not Benjamin Karl. The Austrian snowboarder, 40 years old and competing in his fifth Olympic Games, powered to victory in the men’s parallel giant slalom on Sunday, claiming his second consecutive gold medal.
And because no perfect Olympic moment is complete without a little flair, Karl’s celebration quickly became one of the standout images of the day. Moments after crossing the line, he ripped off his shirt, flexed to the cameras, dropped on to the snow face down and pumped his arms in triumph.
