Snowboard-New-born Vittoria is only victory that matters, Italy's Bormolini says

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 8 - Despite missing the parallel giant slalom (PGS) podium at the Winter Olympics on Sunday, Italian snowboarder Maurizio Bormolini said he had already won, earlier this week and away from the slopes, with the birth of his daughter Vittoria -- 'victory' in Italian.

“The biggest thrill arrived on Monday,” Bormolini said. “That is the most important victory of my life. If another one had come today, it would only have been extra”.

Bormolini, on the list of favourites in the PGS race at the Milano Cortina Games, was sent out of the competition after losing to Austria's Benjamin Karl, who bagged his second Olympic gold, by just three hundredths of a second.

The rider, soon to be 32, said he had no regrets after delivering what he called a near‑perfect run. “I gave 100% and, although it hurts to lose by three hundredths, I’m happy with the final I put together,” he said, ruling out that he could have done better.

"I have no regrets... that’s how races go,” he added.

The snowboarder said competing at home had weighed on him early in the day. “In the first qualification I had the handbrake on," he said.

He described competing on home snow as a privilege but also as a double‑edged sword.

“It’s beautiful, really beautiful. Racing in front of this crowd, with so many people from my village cheering – it’s fantastic, but it's a lot of pressure". REUTERS