Menzies finished seventh in the men’s snowboard slopestyle final yesterday.
The Canadian-born 20-year-old qualified top before competing in a stacked 12-man field that included past Olympic medallists and seasoned contenders.
Looking to back up his qualifying result with a top-scoring run across the six rail and jump features at Livigno Snow Park, Menzies opened strongly.
He showed nice technicality on the rail section before linking together a strong jump line with a backside 1600 to double cork 1440, rounded off with a backside 1660.
His score of 76.10 had him in fifth after the first round.
On run two, Menzies slipped off the rail section up top, resulting in a throwaway attempt.
Despite the mis-step, he remained fifth with the podium tantalisingly close — just 0.85 points separating him from the bronze medal position at that stage.
Heading into the final round, everything was still to play for, and experienced campaigners such as Norway’s Mons Roisland and Marcus Kleveland had yet to post complete scores and remained threats to the podium.
Jake Canter (USA) raised the stakes on his final run, landing a backside 1980 to move into third place with 79.36, the new benchmark for bronze.
Kleveland then surged from 12th into fourth with a creative and technically demanding run, pushing Menzies down to seventh.
Last to drop on the final run, Menzies needed to improve just over three points to shake up the podium.
Knowing he had some of the strongest rail tricks in the field, he dropped in with intent, but an early slip brought his medal charge to an abrupt end.
“I’m super bummed,” Menzies said straight after the competition.
“The first run was pretty good, but a few things didn’t go right. I was kind of stoked, but fifth place isn’t really where you want to be.
‘‘I had the best rail line, but it just wasn’t clean enough. It hurts for sure.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the next one (Olympics) already. I’m super happy to represent New Zealand as well, and my family — it makes me proud.”
