Lake Hāwea’s Luke Harrold has won bronze in the men’s freeski big air competition at the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympics in South Korea.
Although he was unable to land his third run, the score was enough to secure Harrold the bronze medal.
"It’s a pretty amazing feeling. I’ve been working towards this competition for a while and to come out with third place is a dream," he said .
"Training went well, the weather was great, and the jump was really nice so the whole competition flowed really nicely. It was crazy to compete in this field. Everyone was throwing down so it’s been such a cool experience to compete here."
Canadian Charlie Beatty took gold, with Japan’s Olly Nicholls winning silver.
Harrold will compete in halfpipe on Thursday.
Te Anau snowboarder Ava Beer and Wanaka’s Lucia Georgalli (women’s), and Wanaka’s Cam Melville Ives and Raglan’s Txema Mazet Brown (men’s), qualified for the big air finals.
Auckland figure skater Dwayne Li, 15, finished fourth after battling through a bleeding nose to nail a a triple lutz, and a triple flip, triple toe loop combination.
The mixed doubles curling also got under way with New Zealand beating Brazil 12-5 in their opening match.
— Wanaka freestyle skier Finn Bilous has reached his first Freeride World Tour podium in Switzerland.
The 24-year-old finished second at the first stop of the tour in Verbier yesterday.
Bilous made his way down the face, carrying plenty of speed with him, throwing a massive 360 and stomping a flat 360 to impress the judges.
Max Hitzig, of Germany, won the event and Kristofer Turdell, of Sweden, was third.
— Ruby Star Andrews (19) and Tiarn Collins (24), both of Queenstown, finished fourth and fifth place respectively at their X Games debuts in Aspen, Colorado, yesterday.
Andrews competed in the women's ski big air and Collins in the men's snowboard big air.
— Staff reporter
