Town ‘changes’ name for US gold medalist at Olympics

This Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 photo shows a sign welcoming drivers into Silverthorne, Colo., that reads "Welcome to Goldthorne". Someone changed the sign after local Red Gerard won Olympic gold in the men's snowboard slopestyle. The 17-year-old honed his medal-winning routine in his small backyard snowboard park in the town of about 4,100 people, where many travelers stop on their way to nearby ski resorts. (Eli Pace/Summit Daily News via AP)

Men's slopestyle gold medalist Red Gerard, of the United States, celebrates during the medals ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. — The hometown of Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard has unofficially upgraded its name in his honor.

A sign welcoming visitors to the Colorado mountain town of Silverthorne was changed over the weekend to “Goldthorne” after the 17-year-old snowboarder captured the United States’ first gold medal at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The Summit Daily News reports that someone put up a white banner with red letters spelling out “Gold” that covered up “Silver” in the city name sometime Saturday night or Sunday.

Gerard honed his medal-winning routine in his small backyard snowboard park in the town of about 4,100 people, where many travelers stop on their way to nearby ski resorts.