{{Short description|American snowboarder (b. 1993)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Sage Kotsenburg | image = Sage Kotsenburg Olympic Games 2014 press conference.jpg | caption = Kotsenburg in 2014 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1993|7|27}} | birth_name = Sage Cullen Kotsenburg<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_14367069 |title=Dewd, the trophy's yours |date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=February 21, 2014 |publisher=ParkRecord.com |author=Watkins, Jen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226171923/http://www.parkrecord.com/ci_14367069?source=most_viewed |archive-date=February 26, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> | birth_place = Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height = 5 ft 10 in (2014)<ref name="SochiBio">{{cite web |url=http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-sage-kotsenburg |title=Sage Kotsenburg |publisher=Sochi2014.com |date=February 8, 2014 |access-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208222556/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-sage-kotsenburg |url-status=dead}}</ref> | weight = 165 lb (2014)<ref name="SochiBio" /> | website = | country = {{USA}} | sport = Snowboarding | event = {{ubl|Big Air|Slopestyle}} | collegeteam = | club = | team = | turnedpro = 2010 | coach = | retired = | coaching = | worlds = | regionals = | nationals = | olympics = 2014 | paralympics = | highestranking = | pb = | medaltemplates = {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalGold | 2014 Sochi |Slopestyle}} {{MedalCompetition|Winter X Games}} {{MedalSilver|2010 Tignes |Slopestyle}} {{MedalSilver|2012 Aspen |Slopestyle}} {{MedalBronze|2011 Aspen |Big Air}} }}
'''Sage Kotsenburg''' (born July 27, 1993) is an American snowboarder. He won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in men's snowboard slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, and became the first gold medalist at these Olympics. Kotsenburg won a silver medal in snowboard slopestyle at the 2012 Winter X Games XVI in Aspen, Colorado, behind Mark McMorris.<ref name=winterx-2012-slopestyle>{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/action/xgames/winter/2012/results/_/eventId/1014/men-snowboard-slopestyle |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709094948/http://espn.go.com/action/xgames/winter/2012/results/_/eventId/1014/men-snowboard-slopestyle |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |title=Snowboard Slopestyle Results |work=ESPN.com |date=January 28, 2012 |access-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> Kotsenburg won a bronze medal in Snowboard Big Air at the 2011 Winter X Games XV in Aspen, Colorado, behind Torstein Horgmo and Sebastien Toutant.<ref name=winterx-2011-bigair>{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/x-games/winter/2011/results/?page=snowboard-big-air-results |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711010847/http://espn.go.com/x-games/winter/2011/results/?page=snowboard-big-air-results |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 11, 2012 |title=Snowboard Big Air Results |work=ESPN.com |date=January 28, 2011 |access-date=January 30, 2011}}</ref>
==Personal life== Kotsenburg was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, but grew up in Park City, Utah. His parents are Carol Ann and Steve Kotsenburg, a real estate agent. He has two older brothers, and a younger sister. Kotsenburg started snowboarding at the age of five with older brother Blaze. The three younger siblings snowboard together. Their mother acts as Kotsenburg's travel agent.<ref name="Dew Tour">{{cite web |url=http://www.dewtour.com/actionsports/athlete/sage-kotsenburg |title=Sage Kotsenburg full bio |publisher= |date= |access-date=February 8, 2014}}</ref>
Kotsenburg was homeschooled via the Alpha Omega Academy. He graduated in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Homeschool Snowboarder Wins First Gold Medal at 2014 Olympic Games |url=https://www.aophomeschooling.com/blog/cat/homeschooling-latest-news/post/homeschool-snowboarder-wins-first-gold-medal-at-2014-olympic-games/ |website=Alpha Omega Publications |access-date=2015-12-13 |date=February 8, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081522/https://www.aophomeschooling.com/blog/cat/homeschooling-latest-news/post/homeschool-snowboarder-wins-first-gold-medal-at-2014-olympic-games/ |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> He has been a plant-based vegan since 2016.<ref name="theantiblueprintproject.com">{{Cite web |title=Sage Kotsenburg the Plant Based Olympian |url=https://www.theantiblueprintproject.com/people/sage |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=THE ANTI BLUEPRINT PROJECT |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Career== Kotsenburg made his US Open debut at the age of 12. At age 16, he won the slopestyle silver at the European X Games 2010.
He landed the first-ever Cab double cork 1440 at Air & Style in Innsbruck in February 2011, took third at the 2011 Arctic Challenge, and was named to the U.S. Snowboarding Slopestyle Pro Team in December 2011.<ref name="ESPNBio">{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/action/athlete/_/id/50263/sage-kotsenburg |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411005813/http://espn.go.com/action/athlete/_/id/50263/sage-kotsenburg |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2013 |title=Sage Kotsenburg Profile – Bio |work=ESPN.com |date=January 28, 2011 |access-date=March 23, 2013}}</ref>
He won the Winter X Games XVI Slopestyle silver in 2012.
Kotsenburg won slopestyle gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, nailing one trick he had never tried before and performing an original grab he invented, the "Holy Crail".<ref name="KSL.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.ksl.com/?sid=28644275&nid=335 |title=Park City's Kotsenburg uses a new trick to take 1st gold |publisher=Associated Press |date=February 8, 2014 |access-date=February 8, 2014 |website=KSL.com |last=Pells |first=Eddie}}</ref> He was the first gold medalist of the Olympic Games as well as the first medal for the United States.<ref>[http://www.pyramidmagazine.com/features/real-talk-sage-kotsenburg/, Real Talk Interview] Pyramid Magazine</ref> Soon after his success at the 2014 Olympics, he elected to leave competitive snowboarding in favor of exploring backcountry snowboarding.<ref name="theantiblueprintproject.com"/>
During the summer, Kotsenburg trains on Mt. Hood at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. For summer 2014, Kotsenburg and his Lick the Cat crew have been awarded a Signature Session.<ref>[http://www.highcascade.com/signature-session/ Signature Sessions, 2014] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128195142/http://www.highcascade.com/signature-session/ |date=January 28, 2018 }} High Cascade Snowboard Camp</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{FIS snowboarder}} * {{X Games}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140302011233/http://ussnowboarding.com/athletes/sage-kotsenburg Sage Kotsenburg] at U.S. Snowboarding (archived) * {{Team USA|new_id=sage-kotsenburg-836447|old_id=KO/Sage-Kotsenburg|archive=20220711000000}} * {{Olympics.com}} * {{Olympedia}} * {{Facebook|SageKotsenburg}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions in Snowboarding Men}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotsenburg, Sage}} Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:American male snowboarders Category:X Games competitors Category:Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in snowboarding Category:Olympic medalists in snowboarding Category:Sportspeople from Idaho Category:Sportspeople from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Category:Sportspeople from Utah Category:Sportspeople from Park City, Utah Category:21st-century American sportsmen