American Snowboarder Red Gerard Accepts Missing Big Air Finals

During the opening night of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, American snowboarder Red Gerard faced challenges during the men’s snowboard big air event. Despite executing a backside 1620 mute—spinning four and a half times from a height of 170 feet—his score of 72.00 was insufficient to secure a spot in the finals.

Gerard’s Performance and Perspectives on Big Air

Gerard, a 25-year-old athlete, is widely recognized for his achievements, including a gold medal in slopestyle at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. He has also secured two consecutive X Games golds in slopestyle. However, his feelings toward big air are less enthusiastic.

“I’m not a fan of big air at all,” he stated following his performance. “Honestly, I don’t understand why we’re forced to do this.” Gerard expressed dissatisfaction with the requirement to compete in both slopestyle and big air, suggesting it doesn’t cater to the athletes’ individual strengths.

The Olympic Structure and Its Implications

The Olympic snowboarding format has long faced criticism. Athletes specializing in either slopestyle or big air are compelled to compete in both events, despite differing skill sets. Gerard compared this situation to a sprinter in the Summer Games being expected to run distances beyond their expertise.

• Red Gerard finished 20th out of 30 competitors in his event.
• He noted that if he were not required to compete in big air, he would opt out.
• The combined event structure has been a contentious issue since slopestyle was introduced in 2014.

Future of the Sport

Gerard hopes this will be the last Olympics that combine these two vastly different disciplines. “Everyone that participates in this sport are badasses…and I look up to those guys. It’s just not my gig,” he noted. His observations highlight a potential need for reform in Olympic snowboarding events.

Event Results and Advancements

While Gerard did not qualify for the finals, some athletes excelled. Notably:

• Ollie Martin, a 17-year-old from Colorado, advanced to the finals, finishing ninth among the 12 qualifiers.
• Japan secured four spots in the finals, with Hiroto Ogiwara leading all qualifiers.
• Defending gold medalist Su Yiming from China will also compete.

Other American competitors, including Jake Canter and Sean FitzSimons, also did not advance and will now focus on the upcoming men’s slopestyle event, starting February 16.