That debate will linger. Either way, it was hard to think the only American rider in the women's finals -- one of the best in the world -- could blow this one.

But she did.

Her flub left the American contingent standing in the bleachers stunned and shocked -- Frieden, as well. She knew she had no business winning the gold.

Thus ended another strange and memorable day on the snowboardcross course, where it's the side-by-side racing that usually causes the thrills and spills.

That was very much the case at the top of the course in the finals. Canadian Maelle Ricker, the fastest woman in qualifying, came off a jump, rotated awkwardly, caught her backside edge on the landing and smacked her back and head onto the ground. She was taken off the course on a stretcher. She was conscious and was being taken to a hospital in Turin for observation.

A few moments later, teammate Dominique Maltais, the eventual bronze medalist, went careening into the netting after a jump.

That made it a two-woman show and it wasn't even a contest. Jacobellis could have practically crawled the rest of the way to the finish line. She probably wishes she had.

During the awards ceremony, she stood on the podium beneath Frieden and smiled, but there looked to be some tear stains there.

Jacobellis came into the Olympics as one of the best-known Americans, a poster child for her sport, to say nothing of the credit card company she endorsed. She'll also leave as a poster child for something much different -- the whole idea of making sure the victory is sealed before you celebrate.

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