By Emmanuel Bobby
Norway’s Tormod Frostad captured the gold medal in the men’s freestyle skiing big air final on Tuesday, delivering a standout performance to dethrone compatriot and defending champion Birk Ruud in a dramatic and exceptionally high-scoring contest.
American skier Mac Forehand claimed the silver medal, while Austria’s Matěj Švancer took bronze in the event, which was held under challenging snowy conditions at the Livigno alpine resort. Ruud, who had entered the competition as the reigning Olympic champion in big air, finished a disappointing eighth and missed the podium.
Record-Level Scores Decide the Medalists
In the big air format, athletes take three jumps, with their best two scores combined to determine final rankings. Frostad produced two near-flawless runs, earning a combined score of 195.5 out of a possible 200 points. Forehand followed closely with 193.25 points, while Švancer posted 191.25.
The scores reflected the rapid progression of the sport. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the winning score was significantly lower, with Ruud taking gold with 187.75 points and the other medalists scoring 183 and 181. The near-perfect marks in this competition highlighted how tricks and technical difficulty have advanced in recent years.
Breakthrough Olympic Victory for Frostad
The gold medal marked the first Olympic title for 23-year-old Frostad. He had finished fourth in the qualifiers and 12th in the slopestyle competition earlier in the Games. Despite his relatively modest ranking of 18th in the overall World Cup standings, Frostad delivered when it mattered most, showcasing technical precision and composure under pressure.
Forehand’s Historic Trick Nearly Earns Gold
Mac Forehand, 24, entered the final as one of the favorites after topping the qualifying round and winning big air at the X Games in January. His performance lived up to expectations, highlighted by a stunning 2160-degree nose-butter triple cork—one of the most complex tricks attempted in competition.
Forehand described landing the six-rotation jump as “a pipe dream,” noting that he had only practiced versions with fewer rotations before the Olympics. The daring move nearly secured him the gold medal.
“That’s just how it goes in competing. You just feel those nerves and those vibes and it just helps so much,” Forehand said after the event, reflecting on the adrenaline and pressure of the final.
Ruud Falls Short After Slopestyle Success
Birk Ruud, 25, arrived in Milano Cortina as a major contender, having already won gold in slopestyle and previously captured big air gold at the 2022 Olympics. He opened the final strongly with a high score of 95 on his first run but failed to deliver on his remaining attempts, ultimately finishing outside the medal positions.
Inside the High-Risk Big Air Discipline
Big air is one of the most extreme disciplines in freestyle skiing. Athletes launch off a massive ramp—sometimes skiing backward—and perform multiple flips and rotations before landing at speeds exceeding 60 kilometers per hour. Judges evaluate amplitude, technical difficulty, originality, execution, and landing quality.
The sport carries significant risk. During the qualifiers, Finland’s Elias Lajunen suffered a serious crash and had to be stretchered off and taken to a hospital, underscoring the dangers associated with pushing the limits of aerial skiing.
Frostad’s victory not only marked a personal milestone but also reinforced Norway’s dominance in freestyle skiing, while Forehand and Švancer’s performances signaled the continued global rise in technical innovation and competition in the sport.
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