Winter Olympics: USA’s Alex Ferreira completes medal set with freeski halfpipe gold | Sport

American freeskier Alex Ferreira won the men’s half-pipe final at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Friday to add to his collection of Olympic medals.

Ferreira, 31, won with a third and final run worth 93.75 points, adding the gold to his silver from Pyeongchang in 2018 and bronze in Beijing in 2022.

The Colorado native gave the American team its first gold medal in nearly two weeks of freeskiing or snowboarding at the Livigno snowpark.

Estonian Henry Sildaru, 19, won the silver medal at his first Olympic Games. His third run was just 0.75 points shy of Ferreira’s mark.

Brendan Mackay of Canada won the bronze medal, pushing American Nick Goepper off the podium in the final leg of the 11-man final.

Ferreira twirled a pole above his head brilliantly after finishing his race to win a medal. He then had to watch his remaining rivals take their last shot before each failed.

Goepper was aiming for a fourth career Olympic medal, but Mackay edged him out for third place. Goepper, 31, had moved to the halfpipe for this Olympic cycle after winning two silver medals and a bronze in Slopestyle at the previous three Games.

Goepper scared the crowd during his final race when he crashed into the bridge. But he got up after a few moments and did not appear injured.

Lee Seunghun of South Korea did not compete in the final after crashing during a warm-up.

The finalists also competed in the morning for qualifying, which was pushed back to Friday due to heavy snowfall in the Italian Alps.

Reigning world champion Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand missed the final after crashing in his two qualifying races.

In freeski halfpipe, as in snowboarding, competitors take turns traversing the curved surface and embark on a series of acrobatic jumps noted for their difficulty and execution. Only their best of three runs counted.

The halfpipe at the Livigno ski resort hosting these Olympic events is 220 m (240 yds) long, 22 m (24 yds) wide and stands 7.2 m (23.6 ft) high.

American Elizabeth Lemley won gold in the women’s freestyle moguls at the Winter Games, but the moguls events are held at a separate venue in Livigno. The Livigno snowpark hosts halfpipe, pentestyle and big air events for freeskiing and snowboarding.