Malta’s Jenise Spiteri delivered a long-awaited blow to bullies this week after she competed in the women’s snowboard halfpipe event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
“Twelve years ago, I moved to [Lake] Tahoe to pursue my dream of being a snowboarder, and some guys made a post talking all about how by the end of the season, ‘I guarantee she will crawl home to mommy and daddy,’” she said in a video posted to social media.
“I’ve waited 12 years to respond to this, and now is finally the time,” she added, holding a printout of the message.
“So, dear guys who wrote this: I am not a ‘stupid, ignorant, spoiled, trendy, blind, naive, helpless little bitch.’”
“Actually, I’m an Olympian,” she concluded, balling up the paper and throwing it through the Olympic rings behind her.
The California-born athlete is the sole representative for Malta at the Beijing Olympics. Though she didn’t take home a medal, she was the island nation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony and won hearts when she pulled a bao bun out of her pocket to snack on during halfpipe qualifiers.
Spiteri’s grandparents emigrated from Malta to the U.S. in the 1940s, and she got the idea from a college teammate to utilize that heritage, ultimately winning the support of the Maltese Olympic Committee, NBC Sports reported.
She had asked on Facebook nearly 10 years ago to the day if anyone was available to “teach me how to ride pipe tomorrow,” according to a clip she posted on TikTok.