Valentino Guseli finished top 10 in the Winter Olympic Big Air event, his most successful Big Air result since injuring his knee (ACL) in December 2024.
It’s a phenomenal effort from the 20 year-old from Dalmeny in New South Wales.
Unfortunately he was unable to stick the landing on two of his jumps, with Japan’s Kira Kimura winning gold ahead of countryman Ryoma Kimata with silver and China’s defending Olympic champion Su Yiming taking bronze.
“I couldn’t have tried harder or wanted it more so yeah, no regrets,” Guseli said after the competition.
“I was just stoked to be out there riding – first big air final in quite a long time, first big air final, first big air comp in the Olympics.
“I had a lot of fun riding and I left it all out there, for sure.”
Guseli only got a bib for the qualifying round when another competitor, Canadian great Mark McMorris, pulled out through injury.
With just a few hours notice he clinched the last spot in the 12-man final with a spectacular, soaring final jump.
Guseli fell in his first round jump to score 23.0 to sit second last but then nailed a switch backside 1980 tail grab – the same move that qualified him for the final – to score 86.75.
Back in the mix with their best two jumps counting, Guseli went for a backside 1980 on his third and final run but fell on the landing and slid on his back, giving him a score of 16.50.
“It was the third time I landed the switchback 19 ever in my life, which was my second trick and it was the first time I ever tried the back 19, which was the last trick that I crashed on, unfortunately,” he said.
“I think the level was so high that everyone just had to go all in and throw the biggest stuff they could and I know that I definitely threw the best stuff that I could.”
Kimura, 21, edged his countryman with the best score of the night with a 90.50 in his final run for a total of 179.50 points.
World champion Kimata touched down on his final run when he had a chance to snatch victory, with the 23-year-old tallying 171.50 points.
Guseli will contest qualifying in the men’s halfpipe on Thursday (AEDT) and is considered a strong medal chance alongside his teammate and title favourite Scotty James.
“It’s going to be great,” said Guseli. “Hopefully we can we can both get up there and make Australia proud.”
CHECK OUT OUR WINTER OLYMPIC AUSSIE EVENT CALENDAR – all Aussie athlete events in Aussie time zone.
