SOCHI, Russia– David Wise became the first-ever Olympic halfpipe skiing champion Tuesday night, winning gold at the sport’s debut at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.
Aaron Blunck was the only other U.S. athlete to advance to the historic final, where he pulled out a seventh-place finish in the stacked competition.
The wet, falling snow certainly had an effect on the athletes’ speed in the halfpipe, but many were able to manage it effectively, keeping their momentum through the transitions and adjusting the type and sequence of tricks in their runs.
“It’s amazing. It’s always rough when the conditions aren’t perfect and you don’t get to do the runs that you were hoping to do. I’ve had a Sochi run on my mind for a long time that I really wanted to throw down tonight, but you guys will just have to wait to see that one. I’m really proud of freeskiing tonight. The riders all came out, stepped it up and put on a good show in spite of the rough conditions. I’m happy to have landed my run and it’s an amazing honor,” said Wise.
Aaron Blunck was the only other U.S. athlete to advance to the historic final, where he pulled out a seventh-place finish in the stacked competition.
The wet, falling snow certainly had an effect on the athletes’ speed in the halfpipe, but many were able to manage it effectively, keeping their momentum through the transitions and adjusting the type and sequence of tricks in their runs.
“It’s amazing. It’s always rough when the conditions aren’t perfect and you don’t get to do the runs that you were hoping to do. I’ve had a Sochi run on my mind for a long time that I really wanted to throw down tonight, but you guys will just have to wait to see that one. I’m really proud of freeskiing tonight. The riders all came out, stepped it up and put on a good show in spite of the rough conditions. I’m happy to have landed my run and it’s an amazing honor,” said Wise.
