Gray skies and treacherous conditions couldn’t dampen the intensity at Livigno Snow Park on Tuesday as the world’s elite freeski slopestyle athletes battled for Olympic glory. American Alex Hall, seeking to defend his 2022 Beijing gold medal, secured silver in a nail-biting competition that saw Norway’s Birk Ruud claim top honors with a stunning first-run performance.
The event marked a significant moment for Team USA, delivering the nation’s first medal in over a week of snowboarding and freeskiing competitions—sports Americans once dominated with authority.
Ruud Dominates Despite Chaotic Conditions
Birk Ruud’s path to gold exemplified both skill and timing. The Norwegian sensation nailed his opening run with a score of 86.28, one of the few flawless performances on a day where eight of the first 11 competitors crashed hard. Poor visibility and challenging sightlines made the course particularly unforgiving, yet Ruud navigated the rails and kickers with precision that his competitors couldn’t match.
His second attempt ended in a fall, but with gold already secured, Ruud turned his final run into pure celebration. After spinning off a rail and landing facedown—losing a ski in the process—he calmly snapped the equipment back on and closed with a massive flip off the final kicker, cementing his status as one of freeskiing’s most versatile talents.
This slopestyle gold adds to the big air title Ruud captured four years earlier in China. The two-time world champion and three-time X Games titlist now eyes defending his big air crown later this week.
Hall’s Redemption Run Falls Just Short
Alex Hall faced immense pressure entering these games. As the reigning champion in an event Americans had historically owned, anything less than a podium finish would have felt like disappointment. The statistics tell the story of U.S. dominance since slopestyle’s Olympic debut at the 2014 Sochi Games, where Americans swept the entire podium. Team USA had captured six of the first nine medals awarded in the discipline.
But Hall’s journey to silver was anything but smooth. His opening run yielded a disappointing 52.65, leaving him far from medal contention. The second attempt, however, showcased why he earned gold four years ago. Hall delivered an epic performance, posting an 85.75 that vaulted him into silver position.
Needing to surpass that mark on his third and final run, Hall pushed hard but slipped during a critical moment, unable to improve his score. Still, the 85.75 proved strong enough to secure second place and add another Olympic medal to his collection.
American Struggles Continue at Livigno
Hall’s silver provided a much-needed boost for Team USA, which had endured a medal drought exceeding a week in the snowboarding and freeskiing events at Livigno Snow Park during winter condition. His podium finish, combined with Ben Ogden’s silver in cross-country skiing earlier Tuesday, doubled America’s medal count for the day.
The struggles extended beyond Hall. Fellow American Mac Forehand crashed off the second rail in all three attempts, never finding rhythm on the challenging course. Teammate Konnor Ralph displayed remarkable technical ability by landing a triple-cork 1800-degree jump—an exceptionally difficult trick—during his final run. However, he too fell victim to the second rail earlier in the attempt, eliminating any realistic medal hopes.
Bronze Medal Drama
New Zealand’s Luca Harrington rounded out the podium with a bronze medal performance that came down to his third and final run. Harrington executed near-perfection when it mattered most, edging out Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli in a tight battle for third place. The Kiwi’s clutch performance under pressure highlighted the depth of talent in modern freeski slopestyle.
As the competition concluded, one thing became clear while American dominance in this event has waned, athletes like Alex Hall continue proving they belong among the world’s best. His silver medal represents resilience, adaptability, and the refusal to buckle under the weight of defending Olympic.
Source: Associated Press
