Japanese freestyle skier Ikuma Horishima barely missed out on a gold medal in men’s dual moguls at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday. He will instead go home with silver and the intangible consolation prize for most viral moment of the event.

Horishima, 28, was facing off against U.S. skier Nick Page in one of the Winter Olympics’ newest events, in which two skiers race down a slope covered in large humps and perform aerial tricks off of two ramps on the way down. Athletes are judged on technical turn difficulty, aerial trick execution and speed, with the competitors splitting a pool of 35 points per downhill run. The event ends with a single-elimination bracket, so one loss means a skier’s day is over.

The 23-year-old Page reached the final eight after finishing first in his group in the previous round. Two-time Olympic moguls medalist Hannah Kearney called that run “flawless” during the NBC broadcast. Horishima also finished first in his group, setting up a good-on-good matchup to reach the quarterfinals.

Things got dicey for Page once he reached the first jump of his last race. Instead of the tight form he showed earlier, with his legs pogoing beneath a rock-solid torso, his motions were erratic. He then lost control and bounced off the course to his right. Horishima struggled to stay up himself, and even briefly crossed over into Page’s lane, but seemed to course correct. Then came the second ramp.

Horishima hit the jump somewhat cockeyed, and his body contorted as he tried to recover in midair. He crashed down on his hip, his skis flinging upward. He tumbled for a moment as Page narrowed the gap. Then, Horishima slid into another mogul that popped him upward again.

The Japanese skier’s hips rotated. The crowd exploded as he landed upright. The only problem? He was skiing backward.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE MY EYES.” 😳

Dual moguls madness as Nick Page skis out of the course for a DNF while his opponent, Ikuma Horishima, barely stays in control and skis over the line BACKWARDS for the win. pic.twitter.com/hFqqi5gnQE

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 15, 2026

Page wasn’t able to cross the finish line before Horishima’s rear end did. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had, though. Page was disqualified the moment he broke from his lane and ran off course. Horishima took all 35 points by default and went on to claim the silver medal. Page finished 15th on the strength of his first run.

After a wild moment that saw him spiral in several different directions, nobody would blame Horishima if he felt a bit sick to his stomach after the race. If it’s any consolation, though, it’s that his run was even sicker. A silver medal helps, too.