Sage Kotsenburg won the 1st gold medal of the Sochi Olympics by winning the men’s snowboarding slopestyle event.

He becomes only the 4th USA Olympian to win the first gold medal at a Winter Olympics – here are the others:

• Charlie Jewtraw – 1924 – men’s speed skating 500 metres
• Jack Shea – 1932 – men’s speed skating 500 metres
• Andi Mead-Lawrence – 1952 – women’s alpine giant slalom

Jewtraw’s gold medal was the first gold medal ever awarded at the Winter Olympics.

Three other USA Winter Olympians won a gold medal on the first day of medal competition but they were beaten out by earlier gold medalists. These are as follows:

• Tommy Moe – 1994 – men’s alpine downhill
• Chad Hedrick – 2006 – men’s speed skating 5K
• Hannah Kearney – 2010 – women’s freestyle skiing moguls