SOCHI SCENE: Samkova's stache

SOCHI, Russia – When Eva Samkova dominated the snowboardcross final on Sunday to win the gold medal, a lined mustache on her upper lip begged the question: Hipster or political statement?

Turns out the thin lines in red, white and blue — the colors of the Czech flag — were about superstition and patriotism.

"It's a lucky mustache," she said. "Today, it's in national colors."

Samkova started wearing the lucky mustache at the world championships in 2011.

— By Oskar Garcia — Twitter http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

___

Associated Press reporters are filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: http://apne.ws/1c3WMiu