Who won the first Olympic snowboarding gold medal, in giant slalom at Nagano 1998?

Ross Rebagliati won the first Olympic snowboarding gold medal in the men’s giant slalom at Nagano 1998.

The Canadian finished the event in 1 minute 45.96 seconds, narrowly beating Italy’s Thomas Prugger and France’s Daniel Franck. Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Japan, with giant slalom and halfpipe events for men and women.

Rebagliati’s medal became controversial when he briefly lost it after testing positive for marijuana metabolites. The Court of Arbitration for Sport restored the medal because marijuana was not prohibited under the applicable International Olympic Committee rules at that time.

The Nagano giant slalom format differed from modern parallel giant slalom. Riders completed two runs on a course, and the combined time determined the standings. Rebagliati retired from competition soon afterward but remained associated with Canadian snowboarding history.