Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Freestyle Skiing Men’s Halfpipe Live Stream, Results: USA’s David Wise Favored to Win
Twelve of the best freestyle skiers in the world will look to excite the crowd anew when they compete in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics men's halfpipe finals on Tuesday at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.
David Wise is considered as the favorite to win the gold medal in the event as he tries to duplicate the feat of his compatriots Joss Christensen, Guss Kenworthy, and Nick Goepper, who dominated the slopestyle finals by sweeping all the medals at stake in the event last week.
Wise, the reigning freestyle skiing halfpipe world champion, ended up second in the qualifying round, but the 23-year-old American is expected to bring his best performance in the finals.
Wise scored 68.60 in his first run earlier Tuesday, but he stepped up in his second run, scoring 88.40. However, that score was still not good enough to top the qualifying round.
The Reno native, who is also the reigning and three-time X Games halfpipe champion, has been complaining about the weather conditions in Sochi, but he vowed to overcome that adversity in the finals.
"Even today, I was still putting my runs together - in the fog, in these conditions," Wise said via the Washington Post. "We're pros. This is what we do. You can overcome adversity and still do your thing. It's going to be all right."
Justine Dorey of Canada surprised his opponents in the qualifying round when he finished on top of the standings with an impressive performance in his second run that earned him a 91.60 score.
French hopeful Benoit Valentin ended up third with an 87.00 score, followed by his compatriot Kevin Rolland, who finished with an 84.80 score. The 24-year-old Rolland, who finished second to Wise in the 2014 X Games, is also considered a strong medal contender in the event.
USA's Torin Yater-Wallace, who was considered as another favorite heading into Tuesday morning's qualification round, failed to live up to expectations.
The 18-year-old American, who finished second to Wise in last year's World Championships, crashed out of the competition when he only posted 39.00 points as his best score after the first two runs.
TV Schedule and Live Stream
The halfpipe competition begins at 12:30 p.m. EST Tuesday. Skiing fans can catch the action through live stream via NBC Olympics Live Extra. Complete TV listings are available here.
The official Sochi 2014 Olympics website provides the complete start list along with the running scores while the competition is ongoing.