Alessandro Barbieri, 17, vaults into Olympic halfpipe final as U.S. looks for its next torchbearer
With a composed, high-scoring opener and a surge of momentum, Alessandro Barbieri has put the United States back on the men’s halfpipe radar. The 17-year-old qualified fourth with an 88. 50 and heads into Friday’s final (Feb. 13, ET) in Livigno with both the tricks and the temperament to challenge a historically deep field.
A breakout American in a loaded halfpipe
For the first time since Shaun White retired, Team USA appears to have a bona fide contender who can shape the contest. Barbieri’s rise has been swift over the last two seasons, from a Youth Olympic silver to his first World Cup podium and a growing reputation for pushing difficulty under pressure. The final he enters is stacked: Olympic champions and perennial medal threats from Japan and Australia headline a lineup that many insiders consider the toughest halfpipe field assembled at the Games.
Barbieri’s presence changes the U. S. equation. He’s not just making finals; he’s making them interesting.
The run that set the tone
On Wednesday (Feb. 11, ET), Barbieri dialed in a clean first run that ticked all the judges’ boxes: amplitude, variety, execution and flow. The 88. 50 landed him comfortably inside the top four and, more importantly, gave him room to breathe on a pressure-packed day. He later slipped on a setup move in his second attempt — an irrelevant blemish with the high score already banked — but the message was clear.
“What I really have in my head is a 10. That was more like a six, ” Barbieri said afterward. “I have a lot more in the tank. ”
The Oregon native handled more than routine Olympic nerves. Competing in Italy — where his parents grew up and where extended family cheered from the deck — he balanced the emotional weight with a measured approach: land the run in front of you, build from there.
What it will take to medal
Barbieri has hinted at the kind of escalation this final will demand. In recent weeks he linked two triple corks in a single run, a benchmark that increasingly separates medalists from the pack. He didn’t lock a triple in qualifying, but he knows the math: against riders like Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and Australia’s Scotty James — with Yuto Totsuka and Ryusei Yamada also firing — podium chances soar when the triple count rises.
Even Shaun White has circled Barbieri as a rider who could spring the upset, noting his rapid progression and willingness to push right up to the wire. The blueprint is simple to describe, difficult to execute: keep the amplitude, level up the difficulty, and stick a complete run when it matters.
The bigger picture for Team USA
Barbieri’s emergence matters beyond one contest. The U. S. has chased a clear successor in the halfpipe spotlight since White stepped away, and the teenager’s combination of technical ceiling and poise makes him a credible heir apparent. He is candid about that challenge. “We need the U. S. back on the podium or even on the top step, ” he said, adding that his expectations are born from the work invested, not hype.
Whether the breakthrough arrives this week or at a future Games, his trajectory suggests the U. S. pipeline is strengthening again — and doing so with a rider who embraces the moment rather than shying from it.
Teammates through, pressure rising
Two American veterans will join Barbieri in Friday’s final, giving Team USA multiple paths to a late-round surge. Chase Josey advanced 11th with a 76. 50 built on clean grabs and polished execution, a style that can score when others falter. Jake Pates clawed into 12th with a 75. 50 under cutline pressure, flipping a first-run fall into a clutch second-run save. Chase Blackwell finished 15th after a 69.
Final day strategy often hinges on timing: peak too early and you get chased down; hold back too long and the window closes. Barbieri’s camp believes there’s runway left — and he sounded eager to use it. “I have a lot more in the tank and I’m ready to show it to the public, ” he said.
What’s next
The men’s halfpipe final is set for Friday, Feb. 13 (ET). Expect the bar to rise immediately as riders test triple-heavy blueprints in early rounds. If Barbieri strings together the run he has “in his head, ” the United States may finally see the start of a new chapter in a discipline it once owned.
