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New Zealand’s Nico Porteous won gold in the men’s freeski halfpipe final, which included high gusts, tricky conditions, and few landing runs. Porteous, the 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, and 2021 world champion won the competition with a first-run score of 93 before circumstances deteriorated. Porteous was caught in a wind gust on his third run, had a severe fall, and landed practically upside down. He skied to the pipe’s bottom, holding his left shoulder.
“These conditions are horrible right now,” NBC analyst and X Games gold medallist in freeskiing Tom Wallisch stated following Porteous’ crash. On the next run, top qualifier Aaron Blunck of the United States was trapped upside down on a trick and smashed into the halfpipe’s center. He stayed there for a few minutes before skiing down to the bottom of the pipe. He came in eighth place.
At the outset of the competition, all eyes were on American David Wise, the event’s two-time reigning gold medallist. Wise grabbed silver with a good, albeit scaled-back, effort in his first run, while his teammate, 2018 Olympic silver medallist Alex Ferreira, took bronze.
Mike Tirico commented on the fact that the halfpipe finals were held while the alpine event was postponed. “What we’re hearing is that the wind forecast for tomorrow is just as terrible, so you’re running out of time to host the event,” he remarked. “The athletes’ safety was essential there, and perhaps a halt would have been appropriate.”
Birk Irving, an American, finished sixth and is a three-time winner. Gus Kenworthy, who competed for the United States in Sochi and Pyeongchang, as well as Team Great Britain this season, took the final halfpipe runs of his career. He announced his retirement from competitive skiing just before the Olympics in Beijing.
