Mac Forehand Takes Silver as tormod frostad Claims Big Air Gold; U.S. Curlers Close In on Semifinals
LIVIGNO, Italy — Mac Forehand surged to his first Olympic medal Tuesday evening (ET), landing a dramatic silver in the men's freeski big air final as Norway's Tormod Frostad completed a breathtaking last run to capture gold. Elsewhere, U. S. curling teams tightened their grip on semifinal berths as the tournament entered a decisive stretch.
Big air final goes down to the wire
The big air final unfolded under lights at Livigno Snow Park with snow continuing to fall and organizers briefly delaying the competition for 15 minutes to clear the takeoff and refresh jump markers. Forehand, 24, emerged as the American breakout in the event, putting down two massive early scores and fighting through the changing conditions to push the podium duel into the final round.
Forehand opened with a 95 on his first run and matched that with another 95 on his second, leaving him alone in second place with a 190 total heading into the last attempt. He then landed a left nose-butter triple cork 2160 with a safety grab, earning a 98. 25 on his final effort and briefly moving into the lead before the top qualifier completed his last jump.
Tormod Frostad sealed the title with a monstrous closing run that produced a 195. 50 winning total. The Norwegian's performance left little room for error, and Austria's Matej Svancer completed the podium in third with 191. 25. American teammates Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph finished fourth and fifth, respectively, giving the U. S. a strong overall showing in the discipline.
Forehand, who had been the top qualifier after Sunday's session, said the jump suited him and that the night setting — with crowd energy under the lights — helped elevate his performance. Reflecting on the week, he added that he wanted to rebound from an earlier slopestyle final that fell short of his own expectations. "I love big air, " he said. "I love pushing tricks and going big. "
U. S. curling squads jostle for last-four spots
The curling competitions reached a critical phase on Day 11, with both American teams maneuvering through a congested group stage that will determine the semifinal pairings. The U. S. sides moved closer to the semifinals but found the path precarious: a narrow slip in any remaining round-robin match could upend their positioning and open the door for rivals to leapfrog them in the standings.
Group play across the rink was tight, with several matches producing late drama and shifting the qualification landscape. A single loss to a European opponent in the closing matches would complicate matters for the Americans, while wins in their next fixtures would put them in a far stronger position to lock down semifinal berths. Team depth and end-by-end strategy will be decisive as the schedule tightens and the tournament moves toward knockout rounds.
Outlook heading into the next sessions
For freeskiing, the big air final spotlight will linger on a new generation of contenders who can land progressively bigger tricks under pressure. Forehand's silver cements his status as a major U. S. medal hopeful in freestyle events, while tormod frostad's gold performance underlines Norway's continued strength in aerial disciplines.
On the ice, the next slate of curling matches will reveal whether the United States can convert momentum into guaranteed semifinal slots or whether the standings will remain in flux heading into elimination play. With fans packed into venues and conditions shifting across venues, the coming days promise decisive moments across several medal races.
