Mick Dierdorff kicked off a World Championships on home soil with a win in snowboard cross on Friday in Solitude, Utah.
The 27-year-old won each of his heats en route to a victory at his first World Championships after grabbing an early lead in the final. No American man had won a world title in snowboard cross since Seth Wescott did so in 2005.
“That was the best day of my life right there,” Dierdorff said in an interview with NBC’s Tina Dixon after the race. “…This is a moment I’ve dreamed about.