Freestyle skiing at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games will be contested from Feb. 9-23, with medals awarded in ten different events.
Sochi in review
With new events, podium sweeps and tough course conditions, Sochi’s freestyle skiing competition lived up to the name of its venue, the Extreme Park.
Slopestyle
Making its Olympic debut in Sochi, the freeski slopestyle event delivered a history-making podium sweep in the men’s final. For only the third time in Winter Olympic history, U.S. athletes won gold, silver and bronze in one event: Joss Christensen took the top spot, followed by Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper.
Canada almost had a sweep of their own on the women’s side, with Canada’s Dara Howell and Kim Lamarre finishing first and third, respectively. But warmer weather and soft, slushy course conditions at the Extreme Park led to several wipeouts, injuries and errors, including a stumble from the U.S.’ Devin Logan in her second run of the final. Luckily, she had performed safely and cleanly in the first run and was able to claim silver.
Halfpipe
The second freestyle skiing event to be added to the Olympic program in Sochi saw two Americans, David Wise and Maddie Bowman, become champions on the halfpipe.
The most celebrated halfpipe freeskier, however, was one absent from Sochi’s competition. Canada’s Sarah Burke was a pioneer for her sport who successfully lobbied for freeski halfpipe to be added to the Olympic program. She tragically died in 2012 after suffering an injury in training. To honor her memory, the volunteer sweepers paid tribute to Burke by skiing down the pipe in a heart formation. Her former coach also brought her ashes to Sochi to spread in several places, including the Olympic halfpipe.
Moguls
Both the 2010 Olympic champions, the U.S.’ Hannah Kearney and Canada’s Alex Bilodeau, were favorites to defend their titles. Bilodeau succeeded, becoming the first freestyle skier to win two gold medals.
Kearney, however, wobbled during her final run and was outscored by two Canadian sisters, Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe. After earning the bronze medal, Kearney announced her retirement.
Aerials
Skiers from Belarus took two golds in Sochi, with Anton Kushnir placing first in the men’s event and Alla Tsuper winning the women’s event. It was Tsuper’s fifth Olympic appearance and first medal. The 34-year-old is the oldest female freestyle skier to win Olympic gold.
Ski Cross
Three French skiers helped their country to a historic medal tally in Sochi when they swept the men’s ski cross podium. Jean Frederic Chapuis, Arnaud Bovolenta and Jonathan Midol finished 1-2-3, but not without controversy. Canadian and Slovenian officials alleged that the three had worn aerodynamic suits that gave them an illegal advantage in the final, and should be disqualified. The Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the protest, and the French skiers kept their medals. France won 15 total Olympic medals in Sochi, their highest tally at a Winter Games.
In the women’s ski cross, Canada picked up two more medals with Marielle Thompson taking gold and Kelsey Serwa silver. It was the fourth time in Sochi that two Canadian freestyle skiers shared the podium.
Competition format
Freestyle skiers will compete across the following ten events, with gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to the top three finishers, respectively, in each event:
- Men’s aerials
- Men’s moguls
- Men’s slopestyle
- Men’s halfpipe
- Men’s ski cross
- Women’s aerials
- Women’s moguls
- Women’s slopestyle
- Women’s halfpipe
- Women’s ski cross
Venue
Freestyle skiing events will be held at the Bokwang Snow Park, located within the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster, during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. The Olympic snowboarding events will also be held at Bokwang.
Athletes to watch
Men’s moguls
Matt Graham, Australia
Mikael Kingsbury, Canada
Benjamin Cavet, France
Alexandr Smyshlyaev, Russia
Bradley Wilson, United States
Men’s aerials David Morris, Australia
Anton Kushnir, Belarus
Qi Guangpu, China Petr Medulich, Russia Christopher Lillis, United States Jonathon Lillis, United States
Men’s ski cross Christopher Delbosco, Canada Jean Frederic Chapuis, France Arnaud Bovolenta, France Jonathan Midol, France
Men’s halfpipe Mike Riddle, Canada Kevin Rolland, France Benoit Valentin, France Aaron Blunck, United States David Wise, United States
Men’s slopestyle
James Woods, Great Britain
Oystein Braaten, Norway Joss Christensen, United States McRae Williams, United States
Women’s moguls Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, Canada Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canada Perrine Laffont, France Mikaela Matthews, United States Morgan Schild, United States
Women’s aerials Danielle Scott, Australia Xin Zhang, China Ashley Caldwell, United States
Women’s ski cross Kelsey Serwa, Canada Marielle Thompson, Canada
Anna Holmlund, Sweden
Women’s halfpipe Marie Martinod, France
Ayana Onozuka, Japan Maddie Bowman, United States Devin Logan, United States
Women’s slopestyle Dara Howell, Canada Kim Lamarre, Canada Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen, Norway Emma Dahlstrom, Sweden
Giulia Tanno, Switzerland Devin Logan, United States