Norway’s Birk Ruud delivered a championship performance to capture gold in the men’s freeski slopestyle final Tuesday at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, denying American Alex Hall a chance to repeat as Olympic champion in one of the most technically demanding contests of the Games.
The final was defined by a challenging rail section that pushed athletes to attempt highly progressive combinations. The high-risk, high-reward layout rewarded precision and punished mistakes — skiers who executed the rails cleanly positioned themselves for podium-level scores, while others saw promising runs unravel early.
Ruud, the two-time reigning world champion, set the tone immediately with a dominant opening run that ultimately held up for gold. His routine combined flawless rail execution with elite aerial difficulty, highlighted by a switch rightside double cork 1800, a switch leftside double 1620, and a left nosebutter double 16. The run earned 86.28 points, putting pressure on the rest of the field for the remainder of the competition.
Hall responded with a strong second run that nearly closed the gap. The American showcased a picture-perfect rail section and smooth jump line, finishing just 0.53 points behind Ruud with 85.75. Despite pushing for a bigger score on his final attempt, Hall was unable to improve, settling for Olympic silver — his second career Olympic medal in slopestyle.
New Zealand’s Luca Harrington, the 2026 Winter X Games champion, secured bronze with a clutch third run. Harrington’s performance included a pull-back 1440 to 1260 combination on the final jump, lifting him into third place with 85.15 points.
The victory gives Ruud two Olympic gold medals, adding slopestyle gold in Milan Cortina to his big air title from the Beijing 2022 Games. The result also mirrors a previous Olympic Norway-USA finish in the event, matching the 2018 podium when Norway’s Oystein Bråten won gold and American Nick Goepper took silver.
The United States continued its strong Olympic history in men’s freeski slopestyle, now having earned seven medals in the event’s 12-Olympic-medal history. Hall’s teammates Konnor Ralph (9th) and Mac Forehand (11th) both reached the final after top-10 qualifying performances, while Norway’s Tormod Frostad, the No. 2 qualifier, finished 12th.
Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli placed fourth, followed by Sweden’s Jesper Tjäder in fifth and Norway’s Sebastian Schjerve in sixth.
In a final filled with innovation and pressure-packed moments, Ruud’s early statement run proved untouchable — and Hall’s pursuit of back-to-back Olympic gold ultimately fell just short.
Men’s Freeski Slopestyle Final Results — Milan Cortina 2026
- 🥇 Birk Ruud, Norway — 86.28
- 🥈 Alex Hall, United States — 85.75
- 🥉 Luca Harrington, New Zealand — 85.15
