Men’s big air made its Olympic debut Wednesday in PyeongChang, and the qualifying round got so intense that one of the top gold medal favorites is already eliminated.
The biggest name missing from the final will be Marcus Kleveland. The 18-year-old from Norway fell on his second run and was unable to get into the final with the previous trick he had landed in his earlier run. Kleveland is known for his ability to land quad corks — an off-axis rotation that includes four flips — and was considered one of the strongest contenders for gold in PyeongChang.
In the first heat, Max Parrot stomped a pair of frontside triple cork 1440s to earn the top score. All three Americans in the heat — Kyle Mack, Chris Corning and slopestyle gold medalist Red Gerard — landed backside triple cork 1440s to book their spots in the final. Of the American trio, Mack — who was using a very stylish Japan grab on his triple cork — posted the highest score.
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Heat 1 Results
The top six riders from each heat have advanced to the big air final.
1. Max Parrot (CAN), 92.50
2. Niklas Mattsson (SWE), 90.00
3. Kyle Mack (USA), 88.75
4. Chris Corning (USA), 88.00
5. Michael Schaerer (SUI), 87.00
6. Red Gerard (USA), 85.00
Heat 2 Results
The top six riders from each heat have advanced to the big air final.
1. Carlos Garcia Knight (NZL), 97.50
2. Jonas Boesiger (SUI), 96.00
3. Mark McMorris (CAN), 95.75
4. Torgeir Bergrem (NOR), 94.25
5. Sebastien Toutant (CAN), 91.00
6. Billy Morgan (GBR), 90.50