Liu Yishan keeps Eileen Gu's freeski halfpipe gold in China, while Team New Zealand performs haka for two medallists
The freestyle skiing competition at Gangwon 2024 wrapped up with China and New Zealand picking up two Youth Olympic medals each.
Freestyle Skiing
As the world looks for the next Eileen Gu, her compatriot Liu Yishan just put her name forward for consideration in a big way.
The Chinese freestyle skier Liu stomped three high-scoring runs in the women's halfpipe final at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) with her top effort getting 92.25 points, live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com.
“I was able to showcase my full potential. I’m very happy to demonstrate all that I have achieved in training here,” Liu told Olympics.com. “This medal will motivate me to give my all and do my best, to showcase my real level and fight for Milano Cortina.”
With double Olympic champion Eileen Gu as the last winner of this event at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Liu knows she has large shoes to fill.
But she is also encouraged by the advice she has received from her accomplished People's Republic of China teammate.
“She’s incredible. Her level is something I can’t achieve, really impressive. I admire her a lot,” Liu said. “We competed together in the Tongshan World Cup before, and I made it to the finals. Before the matches, she would encourage me, saying words of encouragement like ‘Good luck, compete well’.”
Liu was also thrilled to share the podium with her younger teammate, 14-year-old Chen Zihan, who put down 83.75 in her first run to take silver.
“I’m very happy, extremely happy, happy for her, and happy for myself. Because we basically spend most of our time together, and the time I spend with her every year is much more than with my family. So, we are not only competitors but also teammates, more like family, more like friends.”
Wrapping up the podium, Kathryn Gray finished her three runs with a best of 79.25 points. The USA skier earlier qualified for the slopestyle and Big Air finals, but missed the podium in both events.
For her signature halfpipe event, she took a few more risks, including introducing a new trick among her hits.
“The left nine hasn't been in all my runs, but adding it is huge for me, and once I get the grab, it should be pretty sick,” Gray said.
“I'm stoked. Getting on the podium was the goal, so goal accomplished,” she added.
Haka for Luke Harrold and Finley Melville Ives
Like the Republic of China in the women’s events, New Zealand celebrated two medals in the men’s halfpipe competition.
Big Air bronze medallist Luke Harrold put down 94.25 points on his first run, which would not be outdone for the rest of the halfpipe competition.
“That gave me lots of confidence going into the next run, just to put it all on the line and do my best, and that's what I did, and it worked out,” Harrold told Olympics.com after receiving his gold medal.
Harrold’s teammate Finley Melville Ives came closest to challenging him with 92.50 in his first run, to claim silver.
After getting injured during the slopestyle competition, Melville Ives sat out the Big Air event. None of that showed, however, as he dropped in to the the pipe, full of energy.
“I was just so stoked after my first run, mostly because I had a score on the table and that means I could just try to improve it from there,” Melville Ives said of the celebratory jump he did, legs and arms outspread in the air, as he skied out of the pipe after his first run.
“I'm so stoked just to be on the podium with Luke. It's crazy. It's such a cool experience, and the pipe was amazing today, and I'm just so happy.”
Team New Zealand mirrored Harrold and Melville Ives’ happiness as their coaches and fellow teammates, including fellow halfpipe finalist Liam Richards, gathered in front of the podium to perform a traditional haka for the halfpipe medallists.
“It means a lot,” Harrold said of the team’s special gesture. “Since there's two of us, especially the two on the first two steps, and Liam Richards down there giving it his all, we really pushed everybody, and we all get better because of it. And it's just been an incredible day.”
Switzerland’s Alan Bornet, who picked up the bronze, also shared his praise for the other medallists and the future generation of the sport.
“It's just crazy. The two boys, Luke and Finn, it's crazy,” Bornet said. “And I think it's just incredible.”