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2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Meet snowboarder Julia Marino, who won Team USA's first medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics

Team USA's first medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics came from women's snowboard slopestyle. Although many expected two-time defending gold medalist Jamie Anderson to medal again, teammate Julia Marino put together a run of a lifetime to earn silver.

After falling on her first run during the final, Marino put down a clean second run capped off by a frontside double cork 1080 on the final jump to finish in second. Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand won the gold and Tess Coady of Australia took the bronze. 

"It's a run I've been wanting to put down for a long time," Marino told NBC afterwards. "This season, I didn't necessarily get to put that one down. To do it here just means a whole lot different than anything else and I'm just so over the moon to have landed that top to bottom."

It's a Cinderella story for Marino. She went from 28th place after falling multiple times during her first qualifying run yesterday to winning an Olympic silver medal in the final. 

Here's everything you need to know about Marino:  

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Who is Julia Marino?

Marino is an American snowboarder and newly minted silver medalist.

How old is Julia Marino?

Marino was born on Sept. 11, 1997, and is currently 24 years old.

Silver medalist Julia Marino raises the American flag in the women's slopestyle snowboarding final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Genting Snow Park.

Where is Julia Marino from? 

She lives in Westport, Connecticut.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marino created a snowpark in her backyard to continue training. She reflected on the project on Instagram last month: "Building a rail park in my backyard was a major positive and such a fun project for me. It also kept me active during a time where many of us were stuck at home finding things to keep us busy."

SLOPESTYLE:Snowboarder Julia Marino wins silver, USA's first Olympic medal 

How many Olympic medals does Julia Marino have?

Marino won a silver win medal in women's snowboard slopestyle, marking the first Olympic medal of her career and the United States' first overall medal of the Beijing Games. 

This marks Marino's second Winter Olympics. She competed at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and finished 11th in slopestyle and 10th in big air.

'TOGETHER':What the medals of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics look like

Julia Marino (USA) in the women's slopestyle snowboarding final during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Genting Snow Park.

When else will Julia Marino compete in Beijing?

Marino will compete in the big air event starting Feb. 14. 

How many X Games medals does Julia Marino have?

Marino is a 7-time X Games medalist.

Contributing: Rachel Axon in Zhangjiakou, China

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