US EditionAustria's Benjamin Karl Becomes Oldest Individual Gold Medalist in Winter Olympic History
At 40 years and 115 days, Benjamin Karl set a Winter Olympic record as the oldest individual gold medalist while defending his parallel giant slalom title by 0.19 seconds.
- On Feb 8, 2026, Benjamin Karl defended his Olympic title in Livigno and became the oldest individual Winter Olympic gold medalist at 40 years, 115 days.
- Karl, competing at his fifth Olympics, planned a shirt-tearing celebration to honor Austrian skiing legend Hermann Maier and described waiting 25 years for this homage before refocusing on the World Cup season.
- He beat South Korea's Sangkyum Kim by 0.19 seconds in the parallel giant slalom format, securing Karl's fourth career Olympic medal in this head-to-head knockout race.
- Karl's shirtless celebration, flexing bare-chested on the snow, was widely shared across social media and Livigno Snow Park imagery, fueling the viral reaction.
- Observers noted PGS' uncertain future as Bulgaria's Tervel Zamfirov earned his country's first Olympic snowboarding medal in Livigno, Italian Alps, in a photo finish.
116 Articles
116 Articles
By Ben Church, CNN. Austrian snowboarder Benjamin Karl knew exactly what he would do if he won a gold medal at this year's Winter Olympics; what he hadn't anticipated was the reaction of the rest of the world. After successfully defending his title in the parallel giant slalom in Livigno on Sunday, the 40-year-old celebrated his victory by stripping off his shirt and flashing his torso to the euphoric crowd before flexing his muscles and throwin…
The story behind Benjamin Karl’s viral celebration at the Winter Olympics
Austrian snowboarder Benjamin Karl knew exactly what he would do if he won a gold medal at this year’s Winter Olympics; what he hadn’t planned for was the reaction from the rest of the world.
The second day of competition at this year's Olympics, another top Slovenian ranking, but another disappointment. Centimeters separated Timo Mastnak from his second Olympic medal. The Styrian was sad after the race, but at the same time proud of what he had accomplished.
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