Men’s Nordic Combined wrapped up their final event at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Thursday, placing 6th overall in the Men’s Team Large Hill/4x5km competition. This was USA Nordic’s best finish in the Men’s Team Large Hill/4x5km since Sochi 2014, where they also finished in 6th.

On the Large Hill, Jasper Good started things off with a 114.5-meter jump, followed by Taylor Fletcher at 113.0 meters, Jared Shumate at 128.0 meters, and Ben Loomis at 129.0 meters. These four jumps combined for a total score of 387.1, putting them in 7th place and +1:58 behind the leader to start the 4x5km.

Taylor Fletcher started the first leg of the 4x5km, as he recorded the fastest course time of the day out of all competitors, notching a time of 12:16.3. Ben Loomis then took the second leg, as he finished the course in a total time of 12:52.3, followed by Jasper Good on the third leg with a time of 13:07.4. Jared Shumate finished up the race for the team, as he was able to card a 6th place finish for the team, with a total time of 12:53.1. The team recorded a total course time of 51.09.1, which was the second-fastest behind Norway’s gold medal team.

As Men’s Nordic Combined prepares to depart from Beijing, they are looking forward to the competitions that are still to come this season. There were many positives to take away from the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, and a lot to look forward to for the Games in 2026.

RESULTS
Team Large Hill/4x5km

Athlete Quotes

Taylor Fletcher

On performance…

“I think that the team stepped up in a way that was very cool to see. It was not the easiest jumping round, but Jared and Ben have been jumping on a very high level the entire Olympic Games. Jasper had a very solid jump as well, but I wish that I could have done a little bit more on my jump. Everyone skied their hearts out today as well, it was really cool to see.”

On Beijing being his final Olympic Winter Games…

“This is really tough. I started in 2010 with Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane winning medals, and that was really cool to see. It sucks not coming away with a medal, but I can honestly say that I gave it my all, every single race. I have nothing to be ashamed of, it has been an honor to be able to represent the USA. It has been a fun year, and I’m excited to see what the guys are going to do in the future. It’s crazy to think that this will be the last time I will be putting on an Olympic bib, unless I get some stupid idea to come back in four years.”

On the people he would like to thank…

“I would like to thank my family, especially my brother, Bryan. I would like to thank all of my coaches and USA Nordic, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and the town of Steamboat. The support I’ve gotten the last couple of weeks has been huge.”

Ben Loomis

On performance…

“Overall, I thought that we had a really good day. Sixth place is really solid and one of our better results. Watching Taylor go out and crush the first leg was very inspirational. I think that we put our best foot forward and did all that we could, and I’m very happy with how we performed.”

On looking forward to 2026 Olympic Winter Games…

“I think we are really going to continue to continue to grow as a team, and we are still very young. We’ve got really great coaches and staff at USA Nordic, and I feel like every year everything is getting better. I believe we’re going to continue to get better as a team, and we will be up for some medals in 2026.”

Jasper Good

On performance…

“I think that I had a solid day. I didn’t get to ski in the team event at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, I was super excited and this was an event I was looking forward to all year. I’m really excited about how the team did, and I think that this was a big step for us. I also think it was a solid finish for us, as a young team, and it was pretty special to go out with Taylor like this.”

On looking forward to 2026 Olympic Winter Games…

“I think that next time, we are trying to take another step and be fighting with those lead groups and contend for a medal.”

Jared Shumate

On performance…

“Overall, I’m very happy with both my performance and the team’s as well. I had another competition jump that I was happy with, it also seemed like everybody had a better day on the jump as well. Then, with each leg on the course, we skied our absolute hardest and Taylor covered a bunch of time for us. On my leg, I was luckily able to win a sprint finish, which was the first one of the games that I won.”

On looking forward to 2026 Olympic Winter Games…

“I definitely think as a team, that we can be in the medal fight in 2026. With this being mine and Stephen’s first Olympics, and then Ben and Jasper’s second, we have the experience and I think we are going to be in a really great spot. We have the next four years to work towards our goal, and we are going to use our time in Beijing as motivation.”

The men's freestyle aerials team came up just short of an Olympic medal in Wednesday's final at the Genting Snow Park. Lillis and Schoenefeld had hoped to add to their gold's collected at the Mixed Team Aerials event earlier in the week and broke through to the super-final to compete for a podium position. 

At the end of the day, Schoenefeld finished fifth, and Lillis sixth, behind gold medalist, Guangpu Qi of China, silver medalist Oleksandr Abramenko of Ukraine, and bronze medalist Ilia Burov of Russia. The super finals saw all but one athlete throw a Double Full Full Double Full, a quintuple twisting triple backflip - two twists in the first and third flip, and one twist in the second, making it incredibly hard for the athletes to punch their way onto the podium, a display of aerials in its highest form.

"I knew it was going to be a hell of a competition, that was something that was never in doubt," said Lillis. "It ended up being a 120s quad twist that was needed to make the super final, that was no surprise. I'm happy I was able to execute those jumps. It's also no surprise to me that it was a beautiful, quint-twisting triple that won the competition."

Eric Loughran also represented the United States in the men's aerial final, making it the largest representation the U.S. has had in an Olympic final in the sport since the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. Loughran finished 12th overall.

"This sport has progressed incredibly in the past four years. It's incredible to see, I don't even know how much more their really is," said Loughran. "People are flirting with more twists and this and that to me it's like, 'really? Can you keep on going?' It's cool to watch."

The men's aerial final concludes competition for the U.S. Freestyle team at the Winter Olympic Games Beijing 2022.

RESULTS
Men's aerials finals

Alex Hall and Nick Goepper ended their Olympic run with a bang, going one, two in the men's slopestyle final. 

Hall threw down his gold medal run right out of the gate, scoring a 90.01 that went untouched by the competition throughout the remainder of the event. 

Hall's gold in Olympic slopestyle adds up. Not only does he compete in big air and slopestyle events around the world, but he's also an avid street skier, and loves messing around in the backcountry with his friends. His capacity to bring a creative perspective to every course he touches helps push his skiing to new heights, and on Wednesday, earned him a gold medal.

"You ski whatever is in front of you, and you've got to visualize how you might be able to ski on something that's completely random," he said. "Being able to translate that into a slopestyle course allows me, especially on the rails but also for the jumps, to think outside the box and bring some of that in there. That's why I love skiing, because of the creativity and self-expression. If I only competed, I would have a lot less fun."

Hall competed in his first Games in Pyeongchang but finished 16th. He still remembers the moment when he watched his teammate, slopestyle silver-medalist, Nick Goepper stand on the podium at the Sochi Games in 2014 with a bronze medal around his neck. At the time, Hall was just 16. That was the time when he felt like freestyle skiing for his age group really kicked off. 

"I think that inspired a new, young generation and the Olympics is obviously really special. It only happens every four years, which amplifies the whole experience," he said.  

Goepper has been going for gold at the Olympic games since he was 20, having collected a silver and bronze in his previous two. Wednesday, gold evaded him, but his pride in his skiing still shone through. This comp just felt different than the rest.

"I feel like...I feel like I deserve this," Goepper said. "Alex said it best. He was excited to win, but he won in his way. On the second jump, he did this crazy butter trick that is very unique to Alex's style. I think getting up on the house and doing the things that I did are unique to my style and the way that I like to ski. So sometimes, these contests are just business as usual and you just gonna slough together a run, but this...this felt good, to do it how we wanted to.

Colby Stevenson also had a shot to follow up his big air silver with a medal in slopestyle, but came up short and finished in seventh. "I had fun trying it, and I'm really proud that I stuck with the vision I had."

RESULTS
Men's slopestyle final

Four Team USA athletes came into Wednesday’s classic team sprint ready to go full-throttle. All four walked away with empty tanks knowing they had left everything out on the course at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center in Zhangjiakou, China.

Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan finished fifth in the women’s final. At the same time, JC Schoonmaker and Ben Ogden were ninth in the men’s final - along the way, gaining a ton of experience that will carry them forward in international competition for many years to come. 

Diggins and Brennan easily advanced to the women’s final, finishing second in the semi-final heat, while Schoonmaker and Ogden battled in the second men’s semi-final, finishing sixth, but advancing to the finals as one of two lucky losers.

“It was fast,” Ogden said of the semifinal heat. “It felt pretty good the first couple of laps. I think that was where I wasted some energy too because I thought the pace was easy when it was actually faster than it was. So I took the lead a little on my first lap, and then the last one coming into the stadium, then it hit me like a wall. But fortunately, it ended up being pretty fast.

“If we were a little smarter, and with a little bit of experience, we can be a lot better,” he added.

In the women’s race, Germany surprised everyone by winning the gold medal, with Sweden taking the silver and the Russian Olympic Committee taking the bronze. In the men’s race, Norway skied to another gold medal, with Finland taking the silver and the Russian Olympic Committee taking the bronze.

“It was good…a solid day,” Brennan said. “I think it was one of my better classic races this week, so I’m really happy to have put it together by the end of the Olympics. I did what I could to stay in contact to give Jessie her best shot.”

“It was really cool seeing Rosie crushing, and I went as hard as I could and there was no doubt in my mind that I could not have tried harder,” Diggins added. “I finished with zero sugars left, and I was dizzy and sick, and I’m currently wearing all the clothes of Team USA (to stay warm).”

Up next, the men’s 50k freestyle takes place Saturday with Scott Patterson representing Team USA. On Sunday, the women’s 30k freestyle takes place with Diggins, Brenna, Movie McCabe, and Sophia Laukli making her Olympic debut.

RESULTS
Women’s Classic Team Sprint
Men’s Classic Team Sprint

After a great showing in their first competition, Men’s Nordic Combined was able to have three top 25 finishers in the Individual Large Hill/10km event on Tuesday at the Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Centre.

Jared Shumate led the pack, as he was able to post another top 20 finish, placing 17th overall. On the Large Hill, Shumate placed 19th overall with a 127.5 meter jump, putting him +2:34 behind the leader to start the 10km. He then climbed to his 17th overall finish with a total time of 26:24.5.

“I’m very psyched to have gotten another top twenty, I can’t be upset about that,” said Shumate. “I fought hard during every second of that race, but I lost a couple spots in the last lap. Overall, I thought I skied well, and placing seventeenth was a step up from the first day. I usually struggle a little bit more on the large hill, so I was happy to put a good jump down and start the race in the top twenty.”

Ben Loomis was close behind, as he carded yet another top 20 finish as well, placing 19th overall. This is a new personal best at the Olympic Winter Games for Loomis in the Large Hill/10km, after finishing 40th overall in PyeongChang 2018. After posting a 129.0 meter jump on the hill, Loomis started the 10km in 17th, +2:26 behind the leader. He then finished the 10km race with a course time of 26:51.2 for a 19th place finish.

“I’m happy with how today went, overall it was just a solid day. Result wise, I placed seventeenth again after jumping, just like the normal hill,” said Loomis. “However, I was happier with the jump that I put down today. Looking forward to the team event on Thursday, I’m very excited. We’re in a pretty good spot as a team, everyone is skiing well and having some great jumps.”

Taylor Fletcher was then able to place 23rd overall, his second best overall finish at the Olympic Winter Games in this event, as he finished 20th overall in Sochi 2014. After his jump on the Large Hill, Fletcher found himself in 35th with a 117.0 meter jump, +3:54 behind the leader to start the 10km. Fletcher was then able to vault himself to a 23rd overall finish, as he finished the race with a time of 25:42.7.

“I’ve been one of the strongest skiers on this circuit for a while, and to have a race like that was a lot of fun,” said Fletcher. “It’s one thing to race fast from the front, but to be able to come through groups on the course and drop them is a good feeling.”

Jasper Good then achieved an Olympic Winter Games personal best of his own, as he was able to finish 34th overall, after finishing the Large Hill/10km in 41st at PyeongChang 2018. On the hill, Good was able to post a 115.5 meter jump, placing him in 36th and +4:00 behind the leader in the 10km. He then finished the course in 27:32.9 to card a 24th overall finish.

 “I think that the race went pretty well, racing at this elevation is a great help for me. Overall, it just felt like a better day and the team did great,” said Good. “I’m very psyched about my personal best at the Olympics in this event, and I’m also very proud to be representing the U.S. Army in this Olympics as well.”

Men’s Nordic Combined will be back in action on Thursday, February 17th, as they will compete in the Team Large Hill/4x5km event. Check below to see how you can watch and support USA Nordic as they continue at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Results
Large Hill/10km

How to Watch – Men’s Nordic Combined Schedule

Thursday, February 17th
2:00am EST – Men’s Nordic Combined Team Large Hill – Zhangjiakou, China

• Live: Steaming on NBCOlympics.com & NBC Sports App
• Live: Streaming on Peacock
• Daytime: 2:00pm EST on NBC

6:00am EST – Men’s Nordic Combined Team 4×5 10km – Zhangjiakou, China

• Live: Steaming on NBCOlympics.com & NBC Sports App
• Live: Streaming on Peacock
• Daytime: 3:30pm EST on NBC

Nick Goepper, Alex Hall, and Colby Stevenson threw down in the men's freeski slopestyle qualifiers to earn their spot in among the 12 men who have advanced to finals on Wednesday, Feb. 16. 

Goepper qualified in third after throwing a switch double misty1260 on the first jump, followed by a double cork 1080 on the quarterpipe jump, into a double cork 1440 for his final hit. Goepper will look to earn his third slopestyle medal, improving on a bronze in Sochi 2014 and a silver in PyeongChang in 2018.

“I’m having a really good time, I’m more relaxed than I was eight years ago, I just think that comes with experience and age, so I’m looking forward to, who knows, doing another one in a few years," he said.

Alex Hall qualified in fifth. His biggest hit of the comp was a switch butter 720 to bounce switch cork 540 japan grab on the second jump, a feature that has gone virtually untouched by other riders throughout the freeski and snowboard slopestyle series.

“I’m always looking for something creative, something that I know will bring me joy, so if I can do that in competition skiing and in a run like this on a big stage like at the Olympics, then it’s the cherry on top,” Hall said about his performance.

Colby Stevenson, who qualified right behind Hall in sixth, will make his Olympic slopestyle debut. In 2021 he earned a World Championship silver in the event.

STARTLIST
Men's slopestyle finals

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022
8:30 p.m. Freestyle – Men's Slopestyle Final – Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network

Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022
12:05 a.m. Freestyle Skiing - Men’s Slopestyle Final, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, NBC Broadcast
6:00 a.m. Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials Finals, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN,  Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
12:00 p.m. Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials Finals, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, USA Network
8:00 p.m. Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials, Men's Slopestyle, Women's Halfpipe Qualifying, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, NBC Broadcast
8:30 p.m. Freestyle Skiing – Women's Halfpipe Qualifying, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network
10:30 p.m. Women's Ski Cross Qualifying, USA Network, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
11:30 p.m. Men's Halfpipe Qualifying, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming schedules are updated on a daily basis throughout the season.

In the men's snowboard big air final on Tuesday, Feb. 15, Red Gerard earned the top finish for the U.S. men in fifth, followed by Chris Corning in seventh. The competition was heavy. and the boys managed to hold on to two top 10 finishes despite it all. China's Yiming Su took home gold, followed by Norway's Mons Roisland with silver, and Canada's Max Parrot with bronze.

Gerard, who prefers slopestyle, came into the comp knowing to fight for a podium, he'd have to throw 18s and 19s, something he wasn't feeling great about on Monday. Instead, he chose to throw something he knows, and see how they scored. He opened big air with a backside triple cork 1620, and nailed a switch backside triple cork on his third run to move him into bronze-medal position for a brief moment.

At the end of the day he'll happily take fifth, he said.

"Like I said before I really really wanted to get on the podium at slopestyle," Gerard said after the conclusion of the big air comp. "It took a few days to recover from that, and I'm probably still not fully recovered from it. But all and all I made two finals at the Olympics and came here and did what I wanted. I was consistent, I landed runs, and I had a great time with Team USA, those guys are my best friends. whether it was us hanging out in the village playing cards, or us snowboarding together, that's something that you get at the Olympics that you don't get anywhere else."

Corning, who threw a huge backside quad cork 1800 on the first jump, ended the day a bit farther down the rankings than he had hoped. His first trick earned him a score of 92, but he couldn't top it in his second and third go.

"I had a really rough practice, I wasn't able to focus and do what I wanted to do in practice. And the last time I tried to do (a back quad 18) I was 0 for 3. So to be able to put another one down at this awesome jump, I was super stoked." 

Hailey Langland finished 12th in the women's snowboard big air final. Her first two runs, she threw a cab 1080 Indy but wasn't able to land either trick.

“Ordinarily I wouldn’t have tried the cab 10, because I’m really scared of that trick, but it’s almost like it wasn’t just for me, it was for everyone on my team,” Langland said. “I’m really, really proud that I got to try it a couple times, and I really am looking forward to the next contest to try and put one down.”

Austria's Anna Gasser took gold, followed by New Zealand's Zoi Synott Sadowski with silver, and Japan's Kokomo Murase with bronze.

RESULTS
Men's big air final
Women's big air final
 

Maggie Voisin represented the women's freeski slopestyle team with poise on Tuesday, Feb. 15, finishing fifth overall in a heavy women's competition where gold and silver medals were separated by only 0.33 points. Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud came out on top, followed by China's Eileen Gu. Estonia's Kelly Sildaru finished third with an 82.06. 

"A fifth place among all these incredible women is a really great result," said Voisin . It was going to be tough to crack the top three that's for sure, so I'm really proud of myself and to be amongst all these amazing women pushing the sport."

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is Voisin's third Olympic appearance. She's only 23, and a veteran of the women's team. Despite her age, Voisin has been through hell and back to make it to her third games, after losing her brother to suicide a little over a year ago. She's been close to the Olympic podium before, and got a little taste of it on Tuesday when she waited for the rest of the field to lay down their third and final runs. She says she'll keep fighting to be on the Olympic podium until her body quits on her, whenever that may be.

"I've been through so much in the last four years to just even be at the Olympics to say the least," she said. "So of course, sitting in third for a minute thinking, 'oh man, can I hold on?' was kind of a crazy feeling. But at the end of the day, I have no regrets."

Halfpipe is the final competition on the women's freeski docket. Qualifying will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

RESULTS
Women's slopestyle finals

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022
2:35 a.m. West Coast Encore - Women’s Aerials Final (freestyle), Women’s Big Air Final (snowboarding), Women’s Downhill (alpine), Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
6 a.m. Freestyle – Men's Aerials Qualifying – Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
1 p.m. Freestyle – Men's Aerials Qualifying – Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, USA Network
8:30 p.m. Freestyle – Men's Slopestyle Final – Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network

Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022
12:05 a.m. Freestyle Skiing - Men’s Slopestyle Final, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, NBC Broadcast
6:00 a.m. Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials Finals, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN,  Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
12:00 p.m. Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials Finals, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, USA Network
8:00 p.m. Freestyle Skiing – Men's Aerials, Men's Slopestyle, Women's Halfpipe Qualifying, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, NBC Broadcast
8:30 p.m. Freestyle Skiing – Women's Halfpipe Qualifying, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network
10:30 p.m. Women's Ski Cross Qualifying, USA Network, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
11:30 p.m. Men's Halfpipe Qualifying, Genting Snow Park, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming schedules are updated on a daily basis throughout the season.

Ashley Caldwell, Megan Nick, and Kaila Kuhn all moved forward from qualifiers to Final 1 of the women's aerials competition on Monday, Feb. 14., which led to Nick earning the bronze ahead of Caldwell in fourth. 17-year-old Kuhn ended the comp in 8th in her Olympic debut. Winter Vinecki finished 15th.

Competition piled up on Monday, Feb 14. for the women’s aerials team after an influx of snowy weather at Genting Snow Park delayed Sunday’s qualifiers. The pressure was on to show up and perform when qualifiers were pushed to take place before the final rounds. Athletes had two chances to qualify for finals, and if their best score landed them in the top 12, they would have another two opportunities to break into the top six and compete in Final 2 for an Olympic medal.

Nick managed to stay consistent in all five of her jumps throughout the evening to earn the first individual medal for a U.S. women’s aerialist since 1998 and a career-first Olympic medal for herself. 

“It’s taken a long time to get to this level of jumping. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, so I’m taking in every moment and feeling grateful that I made it here and was able to compete the way I wanted to,” said Nick. “I don’t have triples so I knew it had to be a nice triple twisting double so I’m stoked I was able to do that.” 

In her best individual start, Caldwell advanced straight to finals, nailing a triple full in her first qualification run and earning her a score of 101.31. Then in Final 1, she threw a lay double full full that earned her a 103.92, and a triple full that earned 105.60, putting her the top seed heading into the medal round, where she would have one more opportunity to jump for her second gold medal of the Games

Unfortunately for Caldwell, she slapped back on the landing of her triple-twisting triple in Final 2, a trick she had nailed, not once, but twice, in Final 1.

“The Olympics are incredibly stressful, and we put a lot of heart into what we do,” said Caldwell after the conclusion of the comp. “I gave it my all and it didn’t quite work. But I’m so proud of Tao Tao (Mengtao Xu) and I’m so proud of Megan Nick and I’m so proud of Hanna Huskova. They’re incredible athletes, and there is always heartbreak amongst great success.”

Caldwell finished just off the podium in fourth, behind her teammate Nick, but that didn't stop her from joining the celebrations in the finish when the podium was named. Gold medalist Mengtao Xu, a close competitor and friend of Caldwell's, has been pushing triples in the sport alongside the 29-year-old American. Nick, who has viewed Caldwell as a role model throughout her career, finished in the top three in her Olympic debut.

"I respect what everyone does out here, I know how hard this is because I do it every single day. So I respect every single person out there and how hard they've worked and pushed. Why shouldn't I be excited at their success?" she added

It was really hard to watch Ashley Caldwell slap back because she’s been such a role model and she’s been jumping so well. And it was bittersweet to have her in fourth place.

RESULTS
Women's aerials qualification
Women's aerials final

Red Gerard, Chris Corning, and Hailey Langland have officially moved on to Tuesday, Feb. 15, Big Air finals in Beijing, China. 

Langland was the only athlete to move on from the U.S. team on the women’s side, squeaking into the final in 12th with a total of 127.50 points, only 0.25 points ahead of Switzerland’s Bianca Gisler. Jamie Anderson just missed the cut, finishing 15th with 119.75 points. Courtney Rummel also did not qualify, finishing in 17th. Slopestyle silver medalist, Julia Marino, did not start her first run after taking a hard fall in practice earlier this week. 

“This was a really heavy qualifier, and I thought after Annika (Morgan) landed her cab 9, I was for sure bumped out,” said Langland. “But I’m really stoked to have held on. At the very end (of the competition), I saw the scoreboard, and I was still in 12th, which was pretty shocking, but also so relieving at the same time because that means I get a second chance.”

Red Gerard qualified in third behind Canada’s Max Parrot and Japan’s Takeru Otsuka to advance. The 21-year-old scored a 75.50 on Run 1 with a switch backside triple cork 1620, followed by an 80.00 on Run 2 with a backside 1620. Gerard improved on his first trick on Run 3 for a 78.75 to total 158.75 overall after his third and final run.

Gerard is happy with the way he rode and glad to have stomped three runs but still feels a bit apprehensive about the judging following the inconsistent scores that appeared in slopestyle and halfpipe and again in big air.

“The past three contests for snowboarding with halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air, I just have never seen judging like it,” commented Gerard. “There were some tricks where people would get a 75, then someone would do the exact same trick and get an 81. Having a six-point difference is pretty incredible. Today wasn’t as bad as the slopestyle, I’d say, but it definitely has been a bit of a bummer. You work for years to get to this point and then to come here and have the judging not be correct, it’s not on you, it’s not on any of the riders.” 

“We’re on the world’s biggest stage right now, and for them to just take an extra 30 seconds, 40 seconds to rewatch each run if there is something that flags them, is well worth it, he added. “All I’m saying is no one is ever complaining waiting for their scores. It’s always nerve-racking, but I’ll take that over a misjudged run.” 

Gerard’s teammate, Chris Corning, also made his way into the final, bumping himself up to 10th after throwing a backside triple 1620 on his third and final run. Both Sean FitzSimons and Dusty Henricksen did not qualify for the final, finishing 17th and 21st, respectively.

Big air marks the final event for snowboarding in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
 

RESULTS
Women’s Big Air qualifiers
Men’s Big Air qualifiers

START LISTS
Women’s Big Air final
Men’s Big Air final