LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 20: New Zealand's Fin Melville Ives, a prime medal hopeful, was forced out of the Winter Olympics men's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifiers following a significant crash on Friday.
The 19-year-old athlete fell during his second run, requiring immediate medical attention. He was subsequently removed from the course on a stretcher.
Team New Zealand confirmed Ives sustained a "heavy knock" but remained conscious and was undergoing medical evaluation. He had previously secured the world championship title in 2025 and a superpipe gold at the X Games last month.
The Milano Cortina halfpipe final is scheduled for later today, featuring strong contenders including Americans Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper, and Hunter Hess, alongside Canada's Brendan Mackay.