Jake Canter Claims Bronze in 2026 winter olympics men's snowboarding slopestyle Final
Jake Canter captured the bronze medal in the men’s snowboard slopestyle at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, after posting a 79. 36 on his final run and then waiting as the remaining challengers finished their attempts. China’s Su Yiming took gold and Taiga Hasegawa earned silver in a tense final held on Feb. 18, 2026 (ET).
How the final unfolded
Canter’s third-place winning run came late in the rotation, and the moment was one of high drama. Standing at the bottom of the hill, he watched rivals try to displace him from the podium. Canada’s Mark McMorris failed to stick his last jump and crashed hard, eliminating his chance to overtake the American. Norway’s Marcus Kleveland delivered a strong final effort but scored a 78. 86, falling just short of Canter’s mark. New Zealand’s Dane Menzies, the final competitor to drop in after Canter, also crashed on his last trick and lay on the snow in disbelief as his score did not count toward a podium climb.
With those outcomes, Canter was finally able to celebrate: the 79. 36 from his last run stood as the third-best score of the night. Su Yiming’s winning performance and Taiga Hasegawa’s silver completed a podium that mixed established stars with rising contenders, and the event produced several jaw-dropping attempts as well as costly mistakes.
Significance for Canter and the U. S. program
This bronze is Canter’s first Olympic medal and arrives in his debut Winter Games appearance. His pathway to the podium included momentum from the 2025-26 World Cup circuit: earlier in the season he won a World Cup event in Aspen, Colorado, where he topped both Su and Menzies. That victory foreshadowed his capacity to compete with the sport’s best and underscored his rapid rise on the international stage.
The U. S. had last landed on the Olympic podium in this discipline in 2018, when Red Gerard won gold. Gerard, who reached the podium in PyeongChang, finished sixth in Livigno this week. Canter’s medal restores the United States to the slopestyle medal table and highlights the depth of talent coming through the American program as younger riders step into the spotlight.
Looking ahead: season and legacy
For Canter, the Olympic bronze will be a cornerstone of an early-career résumé already bolstered by World Cup success. The World Cup schedule resumes in March with events in Flachau, Austria, and locations in Switzerland, offering more opportunities for Canter and his peers to build on the form shown in Livigno.
Beyond individual momentum, the Livigno final highlighted the volatility and high-stakes nature of Olympic slopestyle: top athletes can soar to podium finishes or see medal hopes end with a single miscalculated trick. For fans and competitors alike, the event delivered both spectacular trickery and a reminder that consistency under pressure is often the difference between glory and heartbreak.
As the snow settles on another Olympic chapter, Canter’s bronze will be remembered as a breakthrough moment for a young rider who converted season-long promise into Olympic hardware. The discipline now turns its attention back to the World Cup circuit, where the rivalries and storylines from Livigno will continue to play out.
