Under the brooding skies of Livigno, Italy, the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle final at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics delivered a spectacle that fans won’t soon forget. Norway’s Birk Ruud, already a household name in the world of freestyle skiing, added another golden chapter to his career, while New Zealand’s Luca Harrington seized the moment with a heart-stopping final run to claim bronze in his Olympic debut.
It was a day that tested nerves as much as skill. With low clouds rolling across the Livigno Snow Park, visibility was at a premium and the rail sections proved especially tricky for even the most seasoned competitors. Athletes had three runs to impress the judges, but only their best score would count. The pressure was palpable from the very first drop-in, and as the event unfolded, it became clear that only the boldest—and steadiest—would reach the podium.
Birk Ruud, the reigning world champion and a gold medalist in Big Air from Beijing 2022, wasted no time setting the bar. His opening run was a masterclass in precision and creativity, netting him a score of 86.28. That number loomed large over the field as the competition wore on. According to official Olympic records, "Ruud’s opening score of 86.28 proved decisive in an event in which a number of athletes made costly errors across the course." The Norwegian’s ability to keep his composure when others faltered was nothing short of impressive. At just 25, Ruud now boasts two Olympic golds, cementing his status as one of the sport’s modern legends.
For Team USA, Alex Hall entered the day with a target on his back as the defending Olympic slopestyle champion from Beijing. Hall’s experience showed as he pieced together a strong second run, earning 85.75 and sliding into the silver medal position. He looked poised to challenge Ruud’s lead, but a misstep on his final run—falling backward off a rail—ended his gold medal hopes. Still, Hall’s silver keeps the American streak alive: the U.S. has now medaled in men’s slopestyle at every Winter Olympics since the event’s debut in 2014.
Yet the story that captured hearts around the world belonged to New Zealand’s Luca Harrington. The 21-year-old, competing in his very first Olympics, faced adversity early. His first run was stylish but incomplete, as he couldn’t quite stick the landing on his triple cork 1620. The nerves seemed to be contagious, with several top athletes making uncharacteristic mistakes—perhaps a nod to the challenging conditions on the mountain. Harrington’s second run didn’t go much better, leaving him in ninth place heading into the final round. The pressure? Absolutely immense.
But champions are forged in the crucible of adversity. As Harrington prepared for his last attempt, he knew he needed something special. And did he ever deliver! Opting for a daring rail section, Harrington then attacked the jumps with everything he had. He locked in the 1800, stomped his landing on the triple cork 1620, and finished with a clean 1440 on the final jump. The judges responded with an 85.15, vaulting him from outside the podium to the bronze medal position. Harrington then endured a nail-biting wait as the rest of the field took their final runs, but none could surpass his score.
After the dust settled, Harrington became only the fourth New Zealander to ever win a medal at the Winter Olympics—an achievement that drew an emotional response from the young skier. Reflecting on his journey, Harrington shared, “Today was a battle, and it was a battle for all of us. We didn’t get perfect conditions, but that’s part of our sport. I was feeling a lot of pressure, a lot of crazy emotions going on being here at the Olympics, being in the finals and wanting to do everyone proud. Putting something down that you’re proud of was hard. I did not land my first two runs, which made that even tougher, but on that final run, I took a step back and kind of embraced the moment and managed to gain that confidence and managed to go through my full run clean.”
The significance of the moment wasn’t lost on his teammate, Ben Barclay, who finished eighth overall. Barclay, who watched Harrington’s progress up close, said, “To get a front row seat the last few years to the amount of hard work, dedication and sacrifice that Luca and his coach Hamish MacDougall have both put in with the sole goal of this, to see it pay off for them – I can’t even describe how that feels. They worked so hard, put so much blood, sweat and tears and true mahi into it. He really clutched up in the end and he got it. I genuinely don’t think anyone deserves it more.”
As if the medal wasn’t enough, Harrington was greeted by his New Zealand teammates with a rousing haka, a traditional Maori dance that celebrates achievement and unity. This powerful moment echoed the celebration given to snowboarding star Zoi Sadowski-Synnott just a day prior, underscoring the tight-knit spirit of the Kiwi contingent in Italy. Harrington later called the haka “such an honour,” and it was clear the gesture meant the world to him as he stood on the podium, draped in his nation’s colors.
The men’s slopestyle final wasn’t without its heartbreaks. Jesper Tjader, the bronze medalist from Beijing, was in contention until a crash on his third run dashed his hopes. Others, like Barclay, saw promising starts slip away on the rails or in the air. But that’s the nature of slopestyle—one run, one trick, can change everything.
For Norway, Ruud’s victory marks another high point in their storied Winter Olympic history. For the United States, Hall’s silver reaffirms their place among the elite in freestyle skiing. And for New Zealand, Harrington’s bronze is a testament to perseverance, skill, and the power of seizing the moment when it matters most.
As the Olympic torch burns on in Milan Cortina, the men’s slopestyle final will be remembered not just for its dazzling tricks and dramatic turns, but for the way these athletes rose above the clouds—literally and figuratively—to deliver a performance worthy of the world’s biggest stage.