Photo: NBC // YouTube
American snowboarder Nathan Pare managed to pull off a dramatic comeback victory, only to have it snatched away after the fact. At 2026 Milan Cortina Games, a disqualification over a minor collision dashed Pare’s hopes for Olympic glory.
The incident took place during the Men’s Snowboard Cross quarterfinals. Pare was up against Spain’s Lucas Eguibar Breton, as well as Frenchmen Jonas Chollet and Loan Bozzolo. Pare (seen wearing a yellow bib in the video) began the race in last and found himself jockeying for position with Breton. As Pare moved to overtake the Spaniard for the second time, the back of his board made contact with Breton’s, causing the other racer to lose control and crash. Just before crossing the finish line, Pare managed to overtake both Chollet and Bozzolo, who had been holding the lead for the entirety of the race.
Though Pare exhuberantly celebrated in the moments after the win, that joy soon gave way to tense anticipation as the judges deliberated at length about the collision. In the end, they deemed the dustup to be illegal contact and disqualified Pare. According to Olympic snowboard cross rules, only intentional interference results in an immediate disqualification, meaning they believed the contact was on purpose, rather than incidental.
Pare was visibly exasperated at the result, and the American commentators shared his frustration. “I don’t agree with that call,” said NBC snowboard cross analyst Lindsey Jacobellis, herself a three-time snowboard cross Olympic medalist. “To me, that’s boardercross racing. Maybe I’m just too old school.”
As a result, Chollet and Bozzolo were given first and second position, which qualified them for the semis. Only Chollet managed to advance to the final round, though, where he would ultimately finish in fourth overall.
This collision in snowboard cross disqualified Team USA’s Nathan Pare from advancing, despite finishing first 😬
(via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/oGGJm4qRrb
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 12, 2026
