In a dazzling showdown that pushed the boundaries of freestyle skiing, Mac Forehand clinched the silver medal for Team USA in the men’s big air final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, held at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on February 17. The 24-year-old Vermont native—and Southport, Connecticut transplant—delivered one of the sport’s most jaw-dropping performances, landing a world-first trick and igniting a fierce debate about the very nature of judged sports.
Forehand’s Olympic journey reached its crescendo in a blizzard-hit Livigno, where the atmosphere crackled with anticipation. After qualifying in first position with a score of 183.00, Forehand was poised for something special. The final required each athlete to complete three jumps, with their two best scores combined for the final tally. The competition was tight—so tight that the top five athletes were separated by mere points, and every run seemed to up the ante.
From the outset, Norway’s Tormod Frostad appeared to be the man to beat. Frostad, competing in his second Olympics, posted scores of 95.25 and 97.00 on his first two runs, keeping him in the lead. Forehand, meanwhile, matched his own consistency with a pair of 95s, maintaining second place and setting the stage for a dramatic finish. Austria’s Matej Svancer, who would ultimately take bronze with a score of 191.25, also loomed large in the mix, while Americans Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph finished just off the podium in fourth and fifth.
But it was Forehand’s third and final run that electrified the crowd and left commentators—and even his competitors—in awe. With the pressure mounting and the snow falling, Forehand executed a nose butter triple cork 2160, a trick never before landed in competition. “Oh my God,” he exclaimed on the live broadcast after sticking the landing. The judges awarded him a 98.25—his highest score of the night and the second-highest of the entire event—catapulting him into first place with a combined total of 193.25.
“I learned the nose butter triple cork 21 a couple of days ago in training. I didn’t really want to do it, but my coaches and I talked about it at the top, and they said I could do it for sure,” Forehand revealed after the event. “And I wanted to do it for myself. It was a scary moment with the crowd cheering, and the pressure was on. But we watched the video at the top, and I stomped it first try. The nose butter triple 21 has never been done before until tonight, which is why it scored so high. I knew I had a shot at winning the event with that trick that I had dreamt of.”
For a fleeting moment, it looked like Forehand might have secured the gold. But Frostad, with nerves of steel, responded with an equally audacious final run—a nose butter dub bio 16, a technical marvel that defied conventional wisdom about what scores well in big air. The judges awarded Frostad a 98.50, nudging his combined score to 195.50, just ahead of Forehand’s. The Norwegian’s gold medal performance didn’t rely on sheer revolutions, but on a unique takeoff and style that left even his rivals impressed.
“His tricks don’t have a lot of spinning—I did 21s, and he did two 16s—but the way he does it with his approach on takeoff is so unique and so different, and no one has done his two tricks either before,” Forehand acknowledged. “It’s good to see that, and it’s good for our sport as we can only spin so much, and it’s pushing the boundaries in a different way.”
The event was not without its emotional moments. Forehand’s parents, Ann Marie and Ray, were overcome with pride and relief after witnessing their son’s historic run. “It was anybody’s contest,” Ann Marie told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m just so proud of him for being here.” Ray added, “I’ve watched a lot skiing in my life. It was just unbelievable. The level of competition was beyond belief. Who gets a 98? It’s crazy.”
Even among his fellow competitors, there was a sense of mutual admiration and camaraderie. Podmilsak, who finished fourth, said, “That was the hardest I’ve ever cheered for anything in my life when he landed that last one. I thought he was gonna win.” Ralph, finishing fifth, summed up the sentiment: “It could have been flipped either way. I’m stoked for Mac, of course, he’s been working so hard for this.”
The contest was further marked by the struggles of defending champion Birk Ruud of Norway, who crashed on two of his runs and finished eighth with a score of 118.25—a stark reminder of the razor-thin margins and unpredictability inherent in freestyle skiing.
Forehand’s silver marks just the second medal for the U.S. in freeski and snowboarding park events at these Games, adding a bright spot to an otherwise challenging Olympic campaign for Team USA in these disciplines. It also served as a redemption story for Forehand, who had finished 11th in the men’s freeski slopestyle earlier in the week.
After the event, Forehand was quick to shut down any talk of being “robbed” by the judges. “I’ve seen it so many times before: I got robbed, someone I beat got robbed—rob this, rob that,” he said. “But we know so much about our sport. We know what scores well, what should do well. The guys that are out here tonight know what the podium is going to be at all times. People on the outside perspective might not really understand that, but that’s just how it’s going to be. And, you know, judged sports—like I’m sure in figure skating—it’s the same way. But what do they really know about our sport?”
Frostad, too, reflected on the importance of style and individuality in the sport. “Style is everything, in my opinion,” he said. “Because that's our only way to differentiate each other and to see style. It's a trick you can learn, but you can't really teach someone about style. That's a whole process of finding yourself and going into different realms of using your inspiration to craft your style. And that's why someone who spent a lot of time on their style, to me, is really impressive. My take-offs are quite unique. The reason I came out on top is because I was doing stuff people didn't think was possible. The judges seemed to really like it and I ended up on top."
As the snow settled over Livigno, one thing was clear: the men’s big air final had delivered a spectacle for the ages. With world-first tricks, razor-close scores, and a spirit of sportsmanship to match the athleticism, the event raised the bar for what’s possible in freestyle skiing. For Forehand, the color of the medal mattered little compared to the satisfaction of having pushed the sport to new heights—and finally living out the moment he had always dreamed of.