On Feb. 17, 2026 in Livigno, Italy, Norway’s Tormod Frostad secured the Olympic gold medal in big air freeskiing after a dramatic final-round finish. Frostad, 23, posted a winning total of 195.50 points, overtaking U.S. skier Mac Forehand on his final jump. Forehand took silver with 193.25, while Austria’s Matej Svancer earned bronze at 191.25. The competition was held amid persistent snow flurries and a 15-minute delay that tested athletes’ focus.
Key Takeaways
- Tormod Frostad won gold with 195.50 points at the Milan-Cortina 2026 big air final in Livigno on Feb. 17, 2026.
- Mac Forehand (USA) finished second with 193.25 points after moving ahead on the penultimate jump.
- Matej Svancer (AUT) took bronze with 191.25 points, rounding out the podium.
- Defending champion Birk Ruud (NOR) crashed on two runs and placed eighth; he had won slopestyle gold the previous week.
- The final experienced a 15-minute delay because of snow flurries; an earlier storm had already affected the day’s schedule.
- This silver for Forehand was the United States’ second medal across the freeski and snowboarding park events, joining Chloe Kim’s halfpipe silver.
Background
Big air freeski has become a marquee Olympic event, combining technical tricks, amplitude and judges’ scoring across multiple runs. At Milan-Cortina 2026, the event drew a 12-athlete final field composed of specialists from Norway, the United States, Austria and other winter-sport nations. Norway entered the contest with high expectations after recent podiums from its freeski athletes and Birk Ruud’s slopestyle gold the prior week.
Competition conditions at Livigno were challenging on Feb. 17, 2026: intermittent snow and gusts forced organizers to delay the final for about 15 minutes and to monitor the in-run and landing area closely. That winter weather also led to schedule shifts elsewhere at the Games, including a postponed women’s snowboarding slopestyle final. Against that backdrop, athletes had to manage both physical risk and timing uncertainty.
Main Event
The 12-athlete final saw Frostad establish early control by landing two massive, high-scoring tricks that put him in the lead through much of the night. Forehand responded midway through the final round with progressively higher-difficulty attempts, taking the lead on the second-to-last jump and setting up a tense finale. Judges awarded scores that left the medals undecided until the very last run.
On his closing attempt, Frostad produced a composed and technically clean execution that regained the top spot and secured Olympic gold. His total of 195.50 points outpaced Forehand’s 193.25 by a narrow 2.25-point margin. Svancer’s consistent series of tricks put him on the podium with 191.25 points, while several other finalists posted strong single-run marks but lacked the combined totals to challenge the top three.
Birk Ruud, the reigning Olympic champion in slopestyle from Norway, had high expectations but crashed on two runs in the big air final and finished eighth. The crashes underscored the fine line between attempting the sport’s most difficult maneuvers and staying clean enough across multiple scored runs to reach the podium.
Analysis & Implications
Frostad’s victory illustrates the growing depth and competitive parity in Olympic freeski big air. At 23 and in his second Games, Frostad combined technical difficulty with consistency—an increasingly essential mix as judges reward both amplitude and execution. His final-run composure under pressure highlights a performance maturity that can translate into continued success on the World Cup circuit and future major events.
For the United States, Forehand’s silver signals program momentum but also highlights a relative scarcity of medals in park events at these Games: Forehand’s was just the second U.S. podium across big air, halfpipe and slopestyle, joining Chloe Kim’s halfpipe silver. That outcome may prompt U.S. program managers to reassess development pipelines and event prioritization ahead of Paris and other international competitions.
Norway’s mixed results—gold from Frostad but a disappointing result for defending champion Birk Ruud—reflect how small execution errors can swing final placements dramatically in judged winter sports. National teams will likely review run-selection strategies, especially under variable weather conditions like those in Livigno, to balance trick difficulty against landing reliability.
Comparison & Data
| Athlete | Country | Score | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tormod Frostad | NOR | 195.50 | Gold |
| Mac Forehand | USA | 193.25 | Silver |
| Matej Svancer | AUT | 191.25 | Bronze |
The top-three totals were separated by less than five points, underscoring how marginal gains and single-run execution determine medal outcomes. Compared with previous Olympic big air finals, the 2026 podium reflects continued inflation in trick difficulty and judges’ willingness to reward amplitude combined with clean landings. Teams will analyze run-by-run scoring to refine training emphases on rotation control and landing stability.
Reactions & Quotes
Below are concise reported reactions and the context around them, drawn from coverage of the final and official statements.
Frostad described his final run as the defining moment that turned the evening in his favor.
Associated Press (report)
That summary reflects accounts of Frostad’s post-competition remarks, in which he emphasized focus and execution on the last attempt. Observers noted the psychological challenge of re-taking the lead after Forehand’s late surge.
Forehand acknowledged that his penultimate jump shifted the competitive balance and pushed the final into a head-to-head showdown.
Associated Press (report)
Forehand’s second-to-last effort had placed him briefly ahead on the leaderboard, creating pressure for Frostad’s closing run. U.S. team officials hailed Forehand’s composure despite the narrow miss for gold.
Event officials confirmed schedule impacts from persistent snow flurries and said athlete safety and fair judging were priorities during the delay.
Event Organizing Committee (official statement)
Organizers monitored conditions and delayed the final for 15 minutes; an earlier snowstorm had already forced schedule adjustments on the day’s program. Officials emphasized run-area inspections and transparency with teams.
Unconfirmed
- Specific run-by-run technical point deductions for each athlete have not been published in full by the organizing committee as of this report.
- Any internal team discussions about changing run-selection strategy for future events have not been publicly confirmed by national program directors.
Bottom Line
Tormod Frostad’s gold in the Milan-Cortina 2026 big air final was decided in the event’s final moments, highlighting both the volatility and the excitement of judged freeski events. The narrow margins among the top three—195.50, 193.25 and 191.25—demonstrate how a single successful or failed jump can determine Olympic medals.
For athletes and national programs, the result reinforces the premium on combining high-difficulty tricks with reliable landings, especially under variable weather. Spectators can expect increased strategic nuance in run selection and risk management as teams prepare for the next World Cup season and the path toward Paris.
Sources
- ESPN — (media report summarizing event)
- Associated Press — (news agency report)
- Olympic Games (IOC) — (official results and event notices)