US skier’s quest for Olympic gold comes to a crushing halt after terrifying crash
Nick Goepper risked it all on his final Olympic run.
The 35-year-old American skier was in the bronze medal spot when he began his last run in the men’s halfpipe freestyle skiing competition Friday in Milan with a chance at the gold medal, but it ended in a crushing blow on his final trick.
Goepper landed everything successfully until his fifth and final jump, when he didn’t get enough height on his leap and landed hard on the halfpipe ledge.
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He lay on the snow for several minutes, and for as hard as he crashed, everyone held their collective breath as he was tended to by medical staff, who seemed ready to pull him away on a stretcher.
However, Goepper stood up on his own two feet, gave a thumbs-up and a smile, and walked off under his own power.
Unfortunately, insult was added to injury as Canada’s Brendan MacKay bested Goepper’s score to push him off the podium and take the bronze.
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It was not all bad news for the Americans, though, as Goepper's teammate, Alex Ferreira, took home the gold medal.
Goepper entered this year’s Games with three other medals — one each from Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing — but none of them gold.
The broadcast said the trick Goepper attempted had never been done in competition.
"I have no regrets," he appeared to say as he walked off the mountain.
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