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On February 18, Team USA’s Jessica Perlmutter dropped her phone during the women’s snowboard slopestyle final at the 2026 Winter Olympics
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The pro skier’s equipment appeared to fall out of her pocket as she flipped and twisted her jump during competition
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Winter Olympics staff ran over and picked it up from the snow afterwards.
Jessica Perlmutter is unavailable right now.
The 16-year-old American snowboarder not only stunned commentators with her epic tricks at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but she also had a surprise pop out of her pocket: her phone!
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Perlmutter was performing a backside 720 (also known as a back seven) on the jump during Day 12 of the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals at Livigno Airport in Italy on Wednesday, February 18, when her phone fell into the snow.
Abby Parr/AP
“I wonder if her phone just fell out of her pocket?” the live announcer asked while rewatching a slow-motion replay of the incident, in which the device could clearly be seen bouncing up and down the icy ramp.
Meanwhile, Perlmutter continued her slopestyle run — with headphone cords dangling from her pockets — but as she jumped from the ramp into the air for another round of flips and twists, she fell on her landing.
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“That accident was brutal. Yeah, that could have been her phone,” the commentator said of Perlmutter, the youngest competitor in the field.
Athletes like Perlmutter often listen to music during games. new york times noted during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, “Music plays a unique role for snowboarders, many of whom not only listen to music to pump themselves up before competition, but also use music to drown out the noise around them during the actual competition.”
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Perlmutter took to Instagram to express her gratitude for her first Olympic experience and the support she received during the competition.
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“The Olympics were a dream, thank you everyone 🖤,” she began her caption alongside a slideshow of Winter Olympics photos. “So excited that I could run in the big air and finish sixth on the ramp heading into the finals.”
Ian McNicol/Getty
“Hats off to all the girls who competed, you were so sick and it was an honor to ride with you all in Italy,” the athlete continued. “Special thanks to @ussnowboardteam @teamusa for this crazy opportunity and @devon_gulick for coming out and supporting.”
Finally, she thanked a range of her close friends as well as her parents.
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Perlmutter is originally from Millburn, New Jersey, but later moved to Vermont, where she developed deep connections with the state’s tight-knit communities, especially Killington.
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She is known for her versatility in all competition formats, including slalom, slopestyle and giant aerials.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, she placed 6th in the women’s slopestyle and 23rd in the women’s giant aerials, making her debut as one of the youngest competitors on Team USA.
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Read the original article on People