Nick Baumgartner lamented the “one little mistake” that caused his elimination in the quarterfinals of the men’s snowboard cross event at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Thursday.
“I don’t think people know much you put into this,” the 40-year-old from Iron River, Michigan, told NBC in an emotional post-race interview.
“I put so much time and effort, and then one little mistake and it’s gone,” he continued. “I mean, I’m running out of chances. I got so much support back home and I feel like I let them down. This one stings. This one hurts.”
Baumgartner in Beijing became the oldest snowboarder to ever represent the U.S. on the Olympic stage. This is his fourth consecutive Olympics. He has not medaled previously, placing fourth in boardercross in Pyeongchang 2018.
Asked about his future in the sport, Baumgartner defiantly said he was not “stopping on this.”
“I’ve got to do something better to end with,” he said. “Oh man, I just feel bad. So much effort and it’s just a big letdown and I mean, I’ll keep going. I mean, it’s what we do. Fight through the adversity. But this one stings, stings a lot.”