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SOCHI, Russia — American snowboarder Justin Reiter always dreamed of being an Olympic medalist.
Sadly, not all dreams come true, and they didn't for Reiter. Reiter, who was competing in the parallel slalom, had two runs to qualify for the finals, but he was disqualified after his first run.
Reiter’s mother, Brenda, said her son headed up the slope after his first run to prepare for his second, just as he would at any other race.
"He was smiling, he was happy, and I'm like, OK … this is his day," she said.
Little did either know, however, that Reiter had been disqualified from the race after allegedly missing a gate during the race.
After years of training, two missed Olympics due to injury, and months of sleeping in his truck to train, Reiter’s Olympics were done.
"I don't know what to say... it's hard," Brenda Reiter said. “Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windshield. What can I say?"
Despite his disappointment, Justin Reiter was smiling afterwards.
“I went out there, and I gave it everything I had," he said. "Each day, there is only one winner. It leaves a lot of people out in the cold, and the further down that list you finish, the colder it gets."
Still, Reiter said he will always relish the opportunity he had to represent his country.
"To be an Olympian is something I'm very proud of, to represent the country," he said. "My country, the USA. It's a huge honor."
In the end, Reiter's performance in his first Olympics will be something he will never forget. His mother won't let him.
“I can't be any prouder," Brenda Reiter said. "No matter what, he's my little boy. He's my hero. He's my Olympian, and no one can ever take that away from him."
Reiter said he's going to finish out the racing season on the international circuit, then evaluate in the spring if there is something else he wants to do in life.
