17-year-old teenager Red Gerard delivered the first medal of the 2018 Olympic Games for the United States, and he did so with a stellar slopestyle run in a do-or-die situation.

After botching the first run, Gerard wiped out in his second run and seemed to tweak his back, causing the commentators to wonder if he’d be 100 percent for his third and final run.

When his time came, Gerard nailed it. He put together the same run he had planned, but executed almost flawlessly – and the judges rewarded him with a monster score. His 87.16 put him ahead of Canadian Mark McMorris, who was the leader with an 85.20.

McMorris had an advantage knowing the score he needed to put up in his final run, but the 2014 bronze medalist under-rotated on a jump and crashed, ensuring he couldn’t overtake Gerard. The next competitor up, Norway’s Marcus Kleveland, made a crucial error that spoiled his final run, locking him outside of the podium.

Canada’s Max Parrot – who threw away his second run – was the final man up, and he stomped his run to put the pressure on Gerard. After a few tense moments, a score of 86.00 gave Parrot the silver – and gave the United States its first gold, and first medal overall, of the Games. He’s now the youngest American snowboarder to ever win a medal.

As noted by Hilary Evans, Gerard became the youngest American male to win gold since Billy Fiske in 1928.