LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Over a decade of trying and getting oh-so-close, American freeskier Alex Ferreira twirled his pole above his head knowing that he had done the best he could to finally become an Olympic gold medalist.
Moments later, after his rivals had failed to better his top score, Ferreira celebrated the completion of his medal collection with his family and friends on Friday, when he won the men's halfpipe final on a frosty night in the Italian Alps.
His first gold medal at age 31 came after Ferreira took silver in Pyeongchang 2018 and the bronze four years ago in Beijing.
“He said he needed to finish the rainbow. He had the silver, the bronze and he needed the gold,” Alex’s mother, Colleen Ferreira, told The Associated Press.
“He was driven. A year ago, he said he was going to do this, and he did it.”
The Aspen, Colorado, native also delivered the United States its first gold medal in nearly two weeks of freeskiing or snowboarding at the Livigno snow park.
The halfpipe has been American territory in the Winter Olympics. Freeskier David Wise won gold on the halfpipe when it was introduced in Sochi in 2014 and four years later. Nico Porteous of New Zealand won gold in 2022, leaving Wise with the silver. Now Ferreira has returned it to Team USA.
Ferreira won with a third and final run worth 93.75 points, jumping ahead of 19-year-old Henry Sildaru of Estonia.
Sildaru captured the silver in his first Olympics. His third run was just 0.75 points off Ferreira’s mark.
Brendan Mackay of Canada took the bronze, nudging American Nick Goepper off the podium on the last run of the 11-man final.
Goepper was going for a career fourth Olympic medal, only for Mackay to edge him for third place. The 31-year-old Goepper had switched to halfpipe for this Olympic cycle after winning two silvers and a bronze in slopestyle in the previous three Games.
Goepper gave the crowd a scare on his final run when he smashed into the deck. But he was up in a few moments and appeared to be unhurt.
American Elizabeth Lemley had won gold in women’s moguls freeskiing at these Winter Games, but the moguls events are held at a separate venue in Livigno. The Livigno snow park hosts the halfpipe, slopestyle and big air events for freeski and snowboarding.
The US skier Trump lashed out at finishes 10th
American Hunter Hess, whom U.S. President Donald Trump had called a “loser,” was unable to cleanly land his runs and finished 10th.
Hess was thrust into the spotlight at the Milan Cortina Games when Trump called him a loser after the athlete said that “just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Hess made a “L” sign with his hand, with L meaning “loser,” against his helmet after his first qualifying run on Friday. He then told reporters that he stood by the statement that had drawn Trump’s ire, while also reiterating that he loves his country.
A long day for the finalists
The finalists had a long day of skiing the halfpipe. They competed in the morning for qualifying, which was pushed back to Friday because of heavy snow in the Italian Alps, and then were back out again for the evening final under floodlights.
Reigning world champion Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand missed the final after crashing during both of his qualifying runs.
Lee Seunghun of South Korea did not compete in the final after he crashed making a warmup run.
In freeski halfpipe, like in snowboarding, competitors take turns zooming up and down the curved surface and launching into a series of acrobatic leaps that are scored for their difficulty and execution. Only their best of three runs counted.
The halfpipe at the Livigno ski resort hosting these Olympic events measures 220 meters (240 yards) in length, 22 meters (24 yards) in width, and rises to 7.2 meters (23.6 feet) in height.
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AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed to this report.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
