Freestyle skiing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics is heating up in Livigno with big tricks, close scores and a run of surprise results as the program heads into its final days.
The men’s halfpipe final on Friday, February 20 delivered one of the standout moments so far. American Alex Ferreira won gold with a best score of 93.75, just ahead of 19 year old Estonian Henry Sildaru on 93 while Canada’s Brendan Mackay took bronze with 91.
Sildaru’s medal surprised many because halfpipe has not been his strongest event this season and he arrived in Italy with a heavy schedule, competing in slopestyle, big air and halfpipe.
After missing earlier finals he landed clean, technical runs that can change the podium in a sport where one mistake can end a campaign in seconds.
Livigno Snow Park is hosting four freestyle events, ski cross, halfpipe, slopestyle and big air while aerials and moguls are being held at the Livigno Aerials and Moguls Park.
On Saturday, February 21, the schedule includes men’s ski cross qualification and finals, the mixed team aerials final and the women’s halfpipe final in the evening.
Behind the scenes, the field has been shaped by a long qualification period with athletes needing strong World Cup results in their event and minimum points standards to secure Olympic places.
There has also been a reminder of the risk that comes with pushing the sport forward.
Also read about winning of Alcaraz in Doha.
New Zealand’s Fin Melville Ives was taken to hospital after an injury earlier in the halfpipe event as riders keep chasing bigger height and harder combinations under Olympic pressure.
