Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty
The U.S. men’s freestyle halfpipe skiers just added two more medals to America’s total.
In the halfpipe final on Friday night (Eastern), all four Team USA skiers followed up their qualification runs with strong performances. Aaron Blunck earned 7th place with a high score of 78.25, while David Wise took home the silver medal with a score of 90.75, and Birk Irving took 5th place with a score of 80.00. Alex Ferreira finished in 3rd place, with his best run scoring 86.75.
Nico Porteous of New Zealandnabbed the gold medalwith an impressive first run that earned him a high score of 93.00.
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Unfavorable weather conditions, including high winds, made for a difficult final competition; however, all of Team USA held their own, making the freestyle halfpipe final an exciting event for both spectators and competitors.
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“If I was to land the run that I’m hoping to land and end up anywhere on the podium, the feeling of satisfaction is just going to be immense,” he told PEOPLE in an interview conducted ahead of his first run. “Everybody’s overcome a lot to get to this place, to make the Olympic team, to not get COVID at the wrong time, et cetera, et cetera. But in 2019, I shattered my femur. So the journey back from that traumatic injury … it’s been a battle.”
But he also wasn’t feeling as much pressure to medal as in years prior, and instead had learned to appreciate “the mentorship role” he’s taken on with younger athletes.
To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, now, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.
source: people.com
