02/11/26 02:43:00
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02/11 14:42 CST Defending champion Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James set for
Olympic halfpipe rematch
Defending champion Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James set for Olympic halfpipe
rematch
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) --- Defending Olympic halfpipe champion Ayumu Hirano
qualified for the men's final on Wednesday, less than a month after the
Japanese rider injured his face and pelvis in a nasty fall.
Hirano had the seventh-best score, advancing to Friday's final as one of the
top 12 riders. The other favorites at the Milan Cortina Games also advanced.
Scotty James, the silver medalist behind Hirano at the 2022 Beijing Games, led
qualifying with a run worth 94.00 points. Hirano posted a score of 85.50.
Yuto Totsuka, this year's second-ranked rider, had the second-best score,
followed by another Japanese rider, Ryusei Yamada.
Seventeen-year-old Alessandro Barbieri of the United States had the fourth best
score. Team USA's Chase Josey and Jake Pates squeaked into the final in 11th
and 12th.
A fourth Japanese rider, Ruka Hirano, unrelated to Ayumu, was fifth.
The 27-year-old Ayumu Hirano added the gold medal in 2022 to two silvers he had
won previously.
Last month, he suffered multiple fractures and bruising to his face when he
slammed into the halfpipe while competing in Switzerland.
In halfpipe, snowboarders zoom down and up an inclined slope to gather speed
before launching into a series of acrobatic jumps. The halfpipe at the Livigno
ski resort hosting this year's Olympic events measures 220 meters (240 yards)
in length, 22 meters (24 yards) in width, and rises to 7.2 meters (23.6 feet)
in height.
The riders made two trips down the course and were ordered based on their best
run.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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