QUALIFICATION HEAT 2

Heat 2 had the remainder of the hotly-tipped Canadian contingent – Mark McMorris, Seb Toutant and Tyler Nicholson – but it was to be the on-fire Garlos Garcia Knight from NZ who came out swinging hardest in this qualification session. Not only that, there were some crazy high scores being thrown around in round 1, some less-hyped riders making the cut, and some early baths for some pre-event podium picks.

We lost the stream for the best part of the first runs (we’ve have now caught up thanks to the magical rewind button), so were watching the live score ticker. Quickly it was clear we were missing something special. Carlos Garcia Knight – 88.75. Torgeir Bergrem – 94.25. Seb Toutant – 91. Jonas Boesiger – 96. WTF?! We had no idea what these scores were rewarding and cursed German internet vigorously. When we caught up we found CGK had put down a switch backside 16 mute with the slightest of handdrags, Bergrem a monster, textbook back 16, Toots a Cab 16 triple and young Swissman Boesiger a backside triple cork 16 mute, and ultra deep to boot.

It was full on bonkers boarding, and once again showed that the judges are happy to dish out big scores for flat spins, if the rotations enter the renaissance era of 1620 or higher. After the first round of exchanges it was Billy Morgan sat on the bubble, but with the likes of Marcus Kleveland, Peetu Piiroinen and Tyler Nicholson yet to fully open it up it was a worrying place to be going in to round 2.

But, as with compatriot Ståle Sandbech in the earlier heat, the hotly tipped Kleveland had a shocker on this second run, sitting down on a back 16 and with that his time at the Olympics was ended. Torgeir and Boesiger – both either confident that they’d qualified or aware they hadn’t anything more in the tank to one-up their previous efforts – treated us with some style (Torgeir in the shape of his sexual switch back 5 Method, Jonas with a Swiss style Method), but others who hadn’t hit the mid-90s knew they needed to turn it up to book their finals spots.

CGK, as he’s done throughout these Games, showed he’s got more than what it takes to dine at snowboarding’s top table by sending his switch back 16 to the moon, grabbing till 12 and stomping deep into the landing. It would net him 97.5 points and qualify him in first place. McMorris, sat on an 89 for a front triple 14, dropped in fakie for a switch back 16 that had a whiff of the multi-corkage and was good enough to bump him up to 95.75 and secure his spot. A sit down on the landing trying to improve his Cab 16 triple meant Seb Toutant would stay on 91 points, but it would prove enough.

The last of the six final tickets, despite late rallys from Peetu, Nicholson and an 1800 attempt by Vlad Khadarin, was claimed by Billy Morgan, who put down a bigger, cleaner version of his back 14 triple nose to earn 90.5 points and secure the final place. And with that, Saturday morning’s finallists were all decided.

Women’s Big Air finals are next on the agenda, so we’ll see you at some stupid early time on Friday morning for those!