Olympic Gold Winner from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Gets Big Welcome Home Party

A recent gold medal champion at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing came back to his hometown in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and received quite the welcome home.

Snowboarder Nick Baumgartner, a native of Iron River, won gold recently in competition with teammate Lindsey Jacobellis who is from Utah. The 40-year-old athlete and his partner were the winners of the Mixed Team Snowboarding Cross competition on Saturday morning, February 12. So far in the games, he is the only athlete from Michigan to win gold and among two medalists in the 2022 Winter Olympics from the state.

Two days prior to winning gold, Baumgartner lost his individual race coming in tenth place, and thought it was over.

“The bad days that you feel horrible, and you want to quit, those are the days that make the good days great. So don’t give up on those, keep going. I’m 40 years old, I went back to the Olympics for the fourth time, and I got a gold medal when a lot of people counted me out. And there’s been highs and lows, I’ve had to fight through a lot of adversity. But you can’t give up on yourself and you can’t give up on your dreams.” - James Baumgartner via Upper Michigan Source

When he returned home on Monday, people lined the streets of Iron River with signs and balloons. It was followed by a reception at West Iron County High School, where he attended high school.

Baumgartner said it warmed his heart to get such a big reaction for his Olympic success from his fellow Yoopers. Below is a photo gallery showcasing some of the highlights from his gold medal win from the weekend.