Australian Snowboarder Valentino Guseli Makes Impact at Milano Cortina 2026
Valentino Guseli, 20, was added to the Olympic big air competition field for Milano Cortina 2026, subsequently qualifying for the final and later securing fifth place in the halfpipe final. His late entry came after Canadian athlete Mark McMorris withdrew due to a training injury.
Dramatic Entry: Guseli Replaces Injured McMorris in Big Air
Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, a three-time Olympic bronze medalist in slopestyle, withdrew from the big air competition following a training accident. During a training session, McMorris sustained a fall, catching his edge after landing, and was subsequently assisted off the mountain via stretcher, requiring hospitalization. Canadian authorities described the incident as a "freak accident." McMorris, also a three-time big air World Cup winner, is expected to recover and compete in the slopestyle event later in the week.
Valentino Guseli, who was previously an alternate for the big air event, gained a last-minute entry into the competition. Guseli, already qualified for the halfpipe discipline, was Australia's first competitor at Milano Cortina 2026.
Nail-Biting Qualification: Guseli Secures Big Air Final Spot
Guseli competed with 29 other athletes for 12 spots in the big air final. After initially ranking outside the top 12 following his first two jumps, Guseli performed a crucial third jump that scored 91.50. This jump, featuring a switch backside 1980 tail grab, placed him 12th.
Guseli secured his spot in the final by just one point ahead of Norway's Marcus Kleveland.
The big air qualifiers were scheduled for Friday, with the final set for Saturday night.
Fifth in Halfpipe: Guseli Navigates Challenging Final
In the men's halfpipe final, Valentino Guseli finished fifth, achieving a score of 88.00 in his third run. This marked a notable improvement from his previous Olympic performance in the halfpipe, where he placed sixth at the Beijing Olympics.
Guseli described the halfpipe final as experiencing a "craziest level of halfpipe snowboarding," noting numerous crashes where many riders did not complete their runs. Both Guseli and fellow Australian Scotty James experienced two crashes during the competition.
Guseli stated he landed "one of the best runs [he'd] ever landed" and believed he achieved the "highest air of night."
During Scotty James's final run, an overhead broadcast camera cable snapped and fell in the mixed zone area. James later stated he was unaware of the incident during his performance. Guseli commented that such an event could affect a rider if noticed during a trick.
Guseli's Journey and Self-Reflection
Valentino Guseli, a two-time Olympian at 20 years old, has won three World Cup titles on the park and pipe circuit, including a big air event in Edmonton in 2022. In the 2022/23 season, he became the first man to win World Cup medals across all three park and pipe disciplines in a single season. His entry into the big air qualification was supported by his halfpipe qualification and a top 30 performance in big air on the World Cup circuit this season. Guseli had finished 13th in Beijing's big air event in December.
Regarding his halfpipe performance, Guseli offered candid reflections. He stated that he did not possess enough comfortable tricks to reach the podium on that specific night, focusing his strategy on amplitude. He explained that he lost control during his first and second runs due to excessive speed.
Guseli also referenced a recent ACL injury sustained in December 2024 as a factor influencing his challenges, and expressed belief in his capability for a medal, though he did not execute his best snowboarding during the event.