Aussie halfpipe rider Guseli gets unexpected chance for an Olympic medal in another event, big air

By: Eddie Pells, The Associated Press Posted: 9:28 AM CST Friday, Feb. 6, 2026

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — It seems only right that the snowboarder with the reputation as his sport's highest flyer has a chance to win an Olympic medal in the event called big air.

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LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — It seems only right that the snowboarder with the reputation as his sport's highest flyer has a chance to win an Olympic medal in the event called big air.

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This article was published 06/02/2026 (230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — It seems only right that the snowboarder with the reputation as his sport’s highest flyer has a chance to win an Olympic medal in the event called big air.

Valentino Guseli, an Australian whose grandparents are from Italy, is mostly known as a halfpipe rider. He made it into the big air lineup by chance — he got in because Canadian Mark McMorris bowed out with an injury — but parlayed that into a spot in the medal round on Saturday.

“It’s been a while since I’ve put anything decent down in a big air comp, so I’ll take it,” Guseli said. “And it’s a perfect time to do it.”

Australia's Valentino Guseli reacts after his landing his run during men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

He grabbed the last spot in qualifying, pumping energy into an otherwise mellow night at the snowpark Thursday night, treating his 12th-place finish like a victory. A snowboard buddy, Jonas Hasler of Switzerland, hoisted the 20-year-old Guseli onto his shoulders once his spot in the final was secured.

Guseli, who made it into the Olympic halfpipe final four years ago at 16, is considered a medal contender in that event again. Before his 16th birthday, he jumped 7.3 meters (24 feet) out of the halfpipe, breaking a record long held by Shaun White.

When he found out he might have a spot in big air, Guseli said he went over to a minipark in Livigno to work on jumps. Hours later, when McMorris was officially scratched, Guseli said he got a total of eight training runs in the hour before the contest started.

Good enough, it turns out, and maybe not a total surprise.

He has World Cup big air victories in his past (2022) and had even entered a few of those contests in the lead-up to Milan Cortina, which played into him receiving the last-minute spot. His goal of qualifying for halfpipe, slopestyle and big air was slowed, however, by a knee injury last year.

It’s pretty tough to keep up with this level,” he said after his return to the 50-meter hill.

But all he was looking for was a chance. He got that, along with some extra motivation because he took a spot that had belonged to McMorris.

“I knew that with me having that spot, and receiving it from one of the greatest snowboarders of all time, I wanted to do something special with it,” he said. “Me and my dad have a term for it, it’s like giving every situation the ‘correct ingredients’. And I guess we gave every situation today the correct ingredients and we got the job done.”

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics