New Zealand’s Finley Melville Ives is evacuated by a medical team in the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe qualification run 2 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Ben Harrington has qualified for the men’s freeski halfpipe final
Fin Melville Ives is in a stable condition after a fall saw him stretchered off the snow
The finals are set down for 7.30am Saturday 21 February (NZ time)
Ben Harrington has qualified for the men’s freeski halfpipe final after a tense finish to the second run at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
A tough competition saw three out of the four New Zealand athletes lose a ski in at least one of their two runs.
Harrington led the Kiwi contingent after a clean first run saw him sitting at 9th. He dropped to 12th place during the second run, making for a nail-biting wait as all the other athletes finished competing, with only the top 12 progressing to the final.
Knowing he had made the finals was “an insane feeling”, he said.
“My biggest goal was just to come out and land some runs. I had knee surgery just over a year ago, so it was a mission to get back here but we did it.”
Speaking into the cameras on the slopes, Harrington dedicated his second run to teammate Fin Melville Ives, who had his own final hopes dashed after a fall saw him stretchered off the snow.
“Hey Finski, this one’s for you, brother. Love you, let’s go skiing,” Harrington said.
New Zealand’s Ben Harrington reacts after competing in the freestyle skiing men’s freeski halfpipe qualification during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, in Livigno, Italy.
Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Melville Ives was the first competitor to drop into the halfpipe but lost a ski in both runs, putting him at 24th. He was assessed by medics following the second fall and stretchered off the snow.
The New Zealand Olympic Team provided an update on his condition in a social media post shortly after the event.
“Fin is with his family and being assessed by medical professionals. He is stable and positive.”
Fellow Kiwis Gustav Legnavsky and Luke Harrold also failed to qualify, ranking 14th and 15th respectively.
Harrold’s first run saw him in contention for the finals after he placed 11th, but run two saw him lose a ski.
“It was a tough day out there,” he said. “Training went well but, unfortunately, I couldn’t put down the run I wanted to in the two runs. I just want to say thanks to everyone who supported me through my whole journey, it’s been pretty incredible. I couldn’t put it down today for you guys but I know I will eventually.”
Legnavsky also lost a ski on his first run, and a clean second run was not enough to lift him into the top 12.
“I’m pretty bummed … I have more, I know I have more.”
The event involves competitors performing a series of tricks while skiing down a semi-cylindrical slope.
The final will take place at 7.30am Saturday NZ time.
Kiwi Nico Porteous won gold in the event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
New Zealand has so far secured three medals in this year’s games.
On Thursday, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the world’s most decorated Olympic snowboarder with her silver-medal run in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.
Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s freestyle skiing slopestyle last week, after Zoi Sadowski-Synnott earlier claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the big air event.
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