Quantum leap of ‘Q’: Spanish boarder soars into 5th Olympics

By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer

ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Spanish snowboarder Queralt Castellet is 32 years old and at her fifth Olympics. She rarely has felt more on top of her game than this time around in Beijing. With the assistance of two-time Olympic silver medalist Danny Kass, Castellet is flying higher than she did in her 20s and consistently landing more gnarly tricks. On top of that, she can’t recall having this much fun. The rider known as “Q” could be the answer to the question of which contender may give defending Olympic halfpipe champion Chloe Kim a run for the title at the Beijing Games. Castellet is feeding off the energy of this younger generation of snowboarders.