LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Norway's Tormod Frostad clinched the men's freeski big air title at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday with a total of 195.50 points, as unusually high scores highlighted the event's soaring technical level.
American freeskier Mac Forehand, who landed 2160-degree spins in both regular and switch directions, took silver with 193.25 points, while Austria's Matej Svancer also executed a 2160 and finished third on 191.25.
"The level was just insane. It feels crazy. The level was extremely high," Frostad said when asked about the extraordinary scores awarded in the final.
In judged events such as freeski and snowboard big air, each run is scored out of 100 points, with only the best two of three runs counting toward the total. Scores above 95 are typically rare and reserved for near-flawless performances. But in Tuesday's final, a 95-point run proved merely the threshold for reaching the podium.
All three medalists delivered their tricks with precision. Although Frostad's counting spins were both 1620s, lower in rotation than the 2160s landed by his rivals, he impressed judges with creative combinations that blended a butter takeoff with both cork and bio off-axis rotations, elevating the overall difficulty and execution of his tricks.
"I can't wait to watch it back and see how it all looked, because it's impossible to tell when you're doing it. I'm beyond happy to land three runs," Frostad said.
With the conclusion of Tuesday's event, big air competitions in both snowboard and freeski at the Milan-Cortina Games have wrapped up.
