Olympics

Spanish Snowboarder Wins Bronze — And ‘Beard' Tattoo Bet

"It's a huge win for Spain and especially for snowboarding"

Snowboarder Regino Hernandez made a bet with his skiman that if he won a medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics, they would both tattoo their big-bearded faces on each other.

Well, he won.

Hernandez took home bronze in men's snowboard cross Thursday, giving Spain its third-ever winter games medal, and its first since Bianca Fernandez Ochoa took bronze in women's slalom in 1992.

"It's a huge win for Spain and especially for snowboarding," Hernandez said. "It'll be a huge impetus for this sport in our country."

France's Pierre Vaultier took home his second straight gold medal in snowboard cross. He is the second athlete to accomplish the feat.

Now he and Luca Trionte, the man in charge of preparing his boards, are getting tattoos.

Hernandez says, "Here, the bets are for life. Nothing like just shaving beards. Beards will grow back."

Hernandez's only concern was where exactly to place his friend's face.

He tells Spanish sports daily Marca: "I will have to find a place that is not too visible. Luckily, I have many tattoos, so I hope it won't get noticed too much."

Fans and fellow Spaniards were excited to see Hernandez represent their country on the podium in Pyeongchang.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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