Photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images; Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Team USA locked in an impressive victory in the freeski slopestyle event at the2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, earning both the gold and silver medals in the event.
Freeskier Alex Hall won gold while his teammate Nick Goepper took silver in the Wednesday event,ESPNreports. Their combined win marks the best Team USA finish in the sport since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Hall, 23, was given a final score of 90.01, while Goepper, 27, earned a score of 86.48, according toThe Washington Post. Sweden’s Jesper Tjader finished behind them to earn bronze.
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After competing Wednesday, Hall said the event “was the best slopestyle run I’ve ever done,” explaining, “mainly because it embodied everything I love about skiing and how I approach skiing, and I didn’t fade away from that to try and maybe get bigger scores,” per ESPN.
He added, “I just kept it true to myself, and I think that’s the most important part about our sport is just doing it for the love and doing it how you want to do it and not changing that.”
While competing at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Hall finished 16th in slopestyle, per theTimes.
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Goepper earned his third Olympic medal Wednesday after previously winning bronze in 2014 and silver in 2018, according toNBC.
His latest win comes after years of personal struggles, including grappling with depression.
“I wish I had a magic answer [to my longevity], but first of all, you’ve got to love it. And in times that you don’t love it, you’ve got to know that you’re eventually going to love it,” Goepper said, per NBC.
He added, “Because that’s how you keep putting the work in, but it’s just continually grinding. We grind on the rails, but you’ve got to grind all the time.”
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“When you start to think about the big picture too much, it can pull you away from what’s important,” he said.
To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, now, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.
source: people.com
