Maděrová follows Ledecká with Olympic snowboarding gold

Czech snowboarder Zuzana Maděrová has followed in the footsteps of Ester Ledecká, winning Olympic gold in the women’s parallel giant slalom. The 22-year-old claimed her first major career medal in sunny Livigno, delivering the Czech team’s first podium finish at the Winter Olympics. Three-time Olympic champion Ledecká, who had won the event at the previous two Games, was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Austria’s Sabine Payer. Maděrová then went on to defeat Payer in the final. The Liberec-born rider secured her maiden victory in the sport’s biggest race, having previously finished second twice on the World Cup circuit.