LIVIGNO, Italy — American skier Alex Hall secured a silver medal for Team USA in the men's freeski slopestyle event at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday, February 10, adding to the nation's growing medal tally in the Italian Alps.
The competition unfolded under clear skies at the slopestyle course in Livigno, where Hall, a 28-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah, faced intense pressure as the defending gold medalist from the 2022 Beijing Games. Men's freeski slopestyle, which debuted in the Olympics in 2014, has long been a stronghold for U.S. athletes, with the country claiming multiple golds and silvers in previous editions. Anything short of a podium finish might have been seen as a disappointment, according to reports from the event.
Hall's performance started rocky. In his first run, he posted a score of 52.65, placing him well outside contention early on. But he rebounded dramatically in the second run, executing a series of high-difficulty tricks—including a switch double cork 1080 and a left double cork 1260—that earned him an 85.75 from the judges. That score held up as his best of the day, despite a fall in the third run that prevented him from improving his position.
Norway's Birk Ruud claimed the gold medal with a flawless first-run score of 86.28, showcasing his signature style that combined amplitude and technical precision. Ruud, who also won gold in the same event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, solidified his status as one of the world's top slopestyle skiers. The narrow margin of just 0.53 points over Hall highlighted the razor-thin differences that define elite competition in the sport.
For bronze, New Zealand's Luca Harrington delivered a near-perfect third run, scoring enough to edge out Switzerland's Andri Ragettli by a slim margin. Harrington, making his Olympic debut, credited his success to rigorous training in the Southern Hemisphere's winter conditions. Ragettli, a two-time world champion, expressed frustration post-event but praised the overall level of competition.
This silver marked Hall's second Olympic medal in his career, building on the gold he won four years earlier in Beijing. Earlier in the season, at the 2025 FIS Freestyle Skiing World Championships in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, Hall had taken bronze in the same discipline, signaling his return to form after a series of injuries. His performance in Livigno demonstrated resilience, particularly after a challenging first run that could have derailed his medal hopes.
Team USA's medal on Tuesday was the second of the day, following Ben Ogden's silver in the men's 15-kilometer cross-country ski race earlier in the morning. Ogden, from Vermont, crossed the line in 34 minutes and 12.3 seconds, holding off a late charge from Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. With these results, the U.S. contingent moved into a strong position early in the Games, which run through February 26 in the Lombardy and Trentino regions of Italy.
The men's freeski slopestyle event drew thousands of spectators to the Livigno course, a 600-meter track featuring rails, jumps, and features designed to test athletes' creativity and skill. Organizers reported ideal conditions, with temperatures hovering around 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) and fresh snow from overnight flurries. The International Olympic Committee highlighted the event's role in showcasing the evolution of freestyle skiing, a discipline that blends gymnastics, skateboarding, and snowboarding influences.
Hall's journey to this silver wasn't without hurdles. After his Beijing triumph, he dealt with a knee injury that sidelined him for part of the 2023 season, forcing a careful rebuild. According to U.S. Ski & Snowboard officials, Hall's training regimen in Park City, Utah, emphasized mental preparation alongside physical conditioning, which paid dividends in his second-run redemption.
Internationally, the event underscored the global depth in freeskiing. While the U.S. has historically dominated, athletes from Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland are increasingly challenging that supremacy. Ruud's back-to-back golds for Norway reflect the Scandinavian country's investment in winter sports infrastructure, with over 200 medals across all disciplines since 1994.
Harrington's bronze added a milestone for New Zealand, which has won just a handful of Winter Olympic medals since 1952. The 22-year-old from Queenstown said the achievement would inspire younger skiers back home, where freestyle sports are gaining popularity amid limited snow resources.
As the Olympics progress, attention turns to upcoming events like the women's slopestyle final on Thursday and the big air competition next week. Hall, already qualified for the latter, aims to add to his hardware. U.S. coaches expressed optimism about the team's overall prospects, noting that 15 American athletes are competing in freestyle skiing alone.
Beyond the slopes, the 2026 Games have faced logistical challenges, including transportation delays due to heavy snow in the Alps. However, the silver medal provided a bright spot, boosting morale for Team USA. Hall draped himself in an American flag after the ceremony, joining Ruud and Harrington on the podium as national anthems echoed through the valley.
Looking ahead, Hall's performance sets the stage for what could be a medal-heavy Games for American freeskiers. With veterans like him leading the charge, and emerging talents in the pipeline, the U.S. remains a force in the halfpipe and slopestyle arenas. As one observer noted, the sport's high-flying nature mirrors the unpredictability of Olympic competition itself.
In the broader context of the Winter Olympics, this event highlights the sport's growth since its Olympic inclusion. Freeski slopestyle, with its emphasis on innovation, continues to attract a new generation of athletes and fans, ensuring its place in future Games.