Olympics-Snowboard-Baumgartner aims to compete until age 52

By Lisa Richwine

Livigno, Italy, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Forty-four-year-old American snowboarder Nick Baumgartner, one of the oldest competitors at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, set an audacious career goal on Tuesday.

"I think it would be cool to be able to retire on home soil," Baumgartner said at a news conference. "So we all know what that means - 2034. Salt Lake City, Utah."

"Can I make it there? I have no idea. Are we going to find out? Absolutely," he added.

Baumgartner won a gold medal in the 2022 Games in Beijing at age 40, already pushing the age limit for most Olympians. He competes in snowboard cross, a high-speed race in which competitors navigate jumps, banked turns and other obstacles.

He and teammate Lindsey Jacobellis, who was 36 at the time, were the oldest duo competing when they took the gold for mixed team snowboard cross in Beijing in 2022. His first event in Livigno, the Alpine town hosting the snowboard events, is set for Thursday.

Snowboard cross allows riders to compete for more years than other disciplines, such as big air or halfpipe, that are dominated by younger people, Baumgartner said, adding that he hoped to motivate others to "get what they want out of life."

"If I'm 52 years old in 2034 and I'm still doing this, you have no excuse not to go chase your dreams," he said. "None at all."