Any suggestion Wanaka skier Jossi Wells quit prematurely in his attempt to win a slopestyle medal at the Winter Olympics was scotched by one of his coaches yesterday.
Wells was disappointed to finish 11th in the final on Thursday night after both his runs in the final were affected by mistakes.
His second, in which he faltered on the technical section before electing to play it safe - relatively speaking - the rest of the way, had some speculating the former world champion had waved the white flag.
But both his coach's comments, and a closer look at Wells' effort on that run, seem to undermine that argument.
New Zealand park and pipe coach Tom Willmott said Wells' decision to ''throw down straight airs'' the rest of the way was a decision most top freeskiers would make in the risky sport.
''Jossi was going all out for the win. He had it in him, and nothing short of perfection was required,'' Willmott said yesterday.
''When he sketched on the first rail, unfortunately, it was all over. Jossi's approach to getting down the mountain after that was the approach most top-level freeskiers would take.
''Like a ski racer missing a gate, once a rider has missed a key trick and won't get the points they need, the game is over. They then have to get themselves down the mountain in one piece.''
Support for Wells also poured in from slopestyle fans and peers on Twitter.
They pointed out the ''zero spins'' - effectively taking off backwards and landing backwards - he performed in his second run in the finals were much more complex than people realised.
For Wells, hoping to become the first New Zealander to win a Winter Olympic medal since Annelise Coberger claimed silver in 1992, it just was not his day.
''I came out here to land myself on the podium so I put it all on the line and sometimes you fall off,'' Wells said.
''Making it through to finals was definitely a good feeling. The level of the riding was really high. I landed a couple of the best runs I've done in slopestyle to get there.
''Unfortunately, I didn't pull through in finals and messed up both runs, which was definitely very disappointing.''
His father and coach, Bruce, was philosophical about his son's performance.
''It's one job to get into the finals and once you're there, you're out to win. You want to step up the whole game,'' Bruce Wells said.
''It was going to be first place or 12th place and it certainly wasn't first today.''
Jossi's younger brother, Beau-James, finished 21st. At just 18, he will be one to watch at Pyeongchang in 2018.
Beau-James performed a new trick, a double 10, in his second run and was delighted to land a complete run.
''I was definitely a little bit nervous but I knew I had my run pretty well in training, so I knew I kind of had it under control,'' Beau-James said.
Bruce Wells was delighted with the youngster's efforts.
''His rail game was probably one of the best on the day up there. It was really quite inventive and he executed it really, really well,'' Bruce Wells said.
''He landed a brand new trick. To have that in the tool box is really important. Moving forward over the next four years into the next Olympic cycle, I think he's got the tools now to get invites into the major events.''
Jossi and Beau-James now turn their attention to the halfpipe, where they will be joined in Wednesday's competition by another brother, Byron, and Lyndon Sheehan. Janina Kuzma will compete in the women's halfpipe.
