Norway's Ruud tops Olympic men's freeski slopestyle qualifying / Photo: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV - AFP
Norway's Ruud tops Olympic men's freeski slopestyle qualifying
World champion Birk Ruud topped qualifying in the Olympic men's freeski slopestyle competition on Saturday, edging out Norwegian compatriot Tormod Frostad in a strong field.
Ruud, 25, who won big air gold at the 2022 Beijing Games, set the standard with 81.75 points in the first run at the Livigno Snow Park.
Frostad got close, with 79.96, and Sweden's Jesper Tjader was third with a score of 79.83.
Defending Olympic champion Alex Hall qualified in eighth spot while fellow US rider Mac Forehand and X Games champion Luca Harrington from New Zealand made it through to Tuesday's final.
In slopestyle, athletes navigate a course with a variety of obstacles, including rails and various jumps, and are judged on the breadth, originality, and quality of their stunts.
The top 12 competitors progress based on the better of their two runs in qualifying.
(M.Coetzee--TPT)
