Source: Radio New Zealand
USA’s Alex Ferreira celebrates after winning the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. AFP/JEFF PACHOUD
USA’s Alex Ferreira celebrates after winning the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
There were no medals for New Zealand at the men’s freeski halfpipe final, USA’s Alex Ferreira taking home the gold at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
The final run ended with Ferreira in first place (93.75 points), Estonia’s Henry Sildaru (93.00) in second and Canada’s Brendan Mackay in third (91.00).
Canada’s Brendan Mackay reacts after competing in the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final run 3 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. AFP/JEFF PACHOUD
Canada’s Brendan Mackay reacts after competing in the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final run 3 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
New Zealand’s Ben Harrington was ninth.
Earlier Harrington had led the Kiwi contingent after a clean first run saw him sitting at ninth, dropping to 12th during the second run.
Making it to the finals was “an insane feeling”, he said.
“My biggest goal was just to come out and land some runs. I had knee surgery just over a year ago, so it was a mission to get back here but we did it.”
Fin Melville Ives fell during the second run, leaving him unconscious and stretchered off.
USA’s Nick Goepper came in fourth after he crashed on his final jump as he attempted a switch double cork misty flip – a never-before-done halfpipe trick – to land on the deck of the halfpipe.
“I have no regrets,” he said to the crowd. “I’m going to be 35 in four years,” as he looked ahead to another Olympic Games.
USA’s Nick Goepper falls while competing in the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe final run 3 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. AFP/JEFF PACHOUD
USA’s Birk Irving finished in fifth and Britain’s Gus Kenworthy in sixth.
New Zealand has so far secured three medals in this year’s Games.
On Thursday, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the world’s most decorated Olympic snowboarder with her silver-medal run in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.
Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle last week, after Sadowski-Synnott also claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the big air event.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
