There really was no need for the commentator to apologise.
Mind you, he and his broadcasting crew were running out of words to describe the phenomenal performance of Melville Ives in the final event of the X Games at Aspen yesterday.
The 19-year-old Wānaka sensation produced a mind-blowing effort to claim gold in the men’s freeski superpipe and send more notice that he is a raging-hot medal chance at the looming Winter Olympics.
Melville Ives led from the first of his three runs, getting better each time down the massive pipe in front of thousands of screaming fans.
His third-round 95 was the best score of the night as he finished in front of defending champion Nick Goepper (92) and Alex Ferreira (90).
"I honestly can’t describe it," a stunned-looking Melville Ives told the X Games.
"I’m just so hyped to be here."
Melville Ives described his training runs for the X Games as a "bit of a shambles" and smiled when asked if he had stuck to his plan in the final.
"I didn’t really have a plan going in. I was kind of just winging it."
Melville Ives produced back-to-back 1660s on his first run, taking the lead with an 89.33 from Goepper (87) and fellow Wānaka skier Luke Harrold (80.33).
Tricks are one thing in the superpipe but amplitude — the height a skier reaches on each "hit" — is hugely important, and commentators regularly gasped as the Kiwi halfpipe world champion soared into the Colorado night sky.
Melville Ives bumped his score up to 93.33 on a second run in which he managed to squeeze in an extra hit and a trick that was, well, tricky.
"I can’t believe I landed that. It’s scary, but I’m fine."
Melville Ives, who was fourth in the event last year, would have won with that second-round score but he pulled out even more razzle-dazzle on his third run, earning the 95 score that sealed the gold.
Harrold crashed on his second run but scored 82 on his third to finish sixth.
Gold for Melville Ives followed gold and silver for Luca Harrington, two silvers for Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and silver for Rocco Jamieson as the New Zealanders completed an outstanding X Games campaign.
All will have their eyes squarely on the podium when the Winter Olympics start in Milano Cortina on February 6.
