Source: Radio New Zealand
Cam Melville Ives of New Zealand during Snowboard Halfpipe Winter Olympic Games in Italy, 2026. www.photosport.nz
Wānaka snowboarder Cam Melville Ives has qualified for the final of the halfpipe competition at the Winter Olympics.
Melville Ives finished eighth in qualification, with Australian Scotty James leading the top 12 to progress from the 24 starters.
Melville Ives was happy with his first run, which included a frontside triple cork 1440 and scored 84.75, which put him into sixth place.
James, who finished second in this event at the last games and is the current world champion, scored the best run of the day with a 94.00.
The 19-year-old Kiwi then started his second run in eighth position but was unable to improve when he landed heavily from a jump and lost momentum.
He then had a nervous wait as the rest of the field completed their second runs, but held onto eighth place and a place in Saturday morning’s final.
“It’s definitely a high-level qualification everyone was getting after it for sure,” Melville Ives told Sky Sport afterwards.
“I just got to focus on riding clean and putting as run down.
“Hopefully I can land some sick runs in finals, I’m hyped, it’s going to be super fun.”
Melville Ives went into the Olympics on the back of a silver medal performance at the FIS World Cup in Switzerland.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
