Alex Ferreira Claims Olympic Halfpipe Gold as U.S. Teammate Nick Goepper Crashes on Final Run

alex ferreira won the men's freeski halfpipe gold on Feb. 20 at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics while an attempted final trick by U. S. teammate Nick Goepper ended in a dramatic crash. The moment altered medal positions on Day 14 at Livigno Snow Park and left one of the sport’s most experienced competitors briefly tended by medical staff.

Development details — Alex Ferreira's gold and Goepper's crash

The competition concluded on Feb. 20 at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, where alex ferreira emerged with the Olympic title in the men's halfpipe. During the medal-deciding third run, 35-year-old Nick Goepper—then occupying the bronze position—completed four successful jumps but failed to get sufficient height on his fifth and final trick. He landed hard on the halfpipe ledge and lay on the snow for several minutes while medical staff attended him and appeared ready to place him on a stretcher.

Despite the severity of the fall, Goepper managed to stand, flashed a thumbs-up and a smile, and walked off under his own power. The scoring shift that followed allowed Canada’s Brendan MacKay to surpass Goepper’s tally and claim the bronze, while Ferreira secured the top spot. Official results for the Games are processed through established systems, with results management handled by Omega and Official Results powered by Deloitte.

Context and escalation

Goepper entered the final run with a chance to improve on his standing and chase the gold, but the attempted trick on that last jump, described in the broadcast as a maneuver never done in competition, proved decisive. The combination of not reaching the required height and contacting the halfpipe ledge caused the hard landing and the immediate medical response. Goepper’s Olympic résumé already included three medals from prior Games—Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing—but none of them had been gold before this event.

What makes this notable is how quickly fortunes shifted: one unsuccessful leap changed a podium position and underscored the razor-thin margins that determine medal outcomes in halfpipe skiing.

Immediate impact

The most direct consequences were clear and measurable. Alex Ferreira took the gold medal for the United States, Brendan MacKay moved into bronze, and Nick Goepper was pushed off the podium. Goepper’s fall required minutes of on-hill attention from medical personnel and prompted stretcher preparations, though he ultimately walked away from the scene. The incident affected athletes’ final standings on Day 14 of the Games and became a focal point of the competition’s closing moments.

Beyond individual placements, the sequence highlighted the physical risks competitors accept: a single miscalculated jump can produce an injury scare and instant ranking change. Officials responsible for timing and results were engaged in certifying outcomes through the Games’ established processing framework.

Forward outlook

The halfpipe final concluded on Feb. 20, with medals awarded as part of Day 14 events at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Immediate coverage noted the final rankings and the medical evaluation on site; no further schedule updates for the athletes involved were provided in the immediate recap. Results will remain part of the Games’ official record as managed by the event timing and results systems in place.

The incident and its outcomes mark a defining moment for the halfpipe competition: a gold medal for alex ferreira, a bronze for Brendan MacKay, and a high-profile crash that interrupted a veteran athlete’s pursuit of Olympic gold.