Norway’s Torstein Horgmo claimed the America’s Navy Snowboard Big Air gold medal at X Games Aspen 2013 that continued in Aspen, Colorado, on Friday, January 25.
Canada’s Mark McMorris walked away with the silver medal, while Norway’s Stale Sandbech rounded out the podium to take home the bronze medal.
The expectations of the crowd in attendance at the Buttermilk Mountain were really high during the Big Air final. These expectations were understandable as the best riders from across the globe were in contention for the coveted X Games medals.
The riders were also expected to push themselves hard as it was the perfect opportunity for them to display their skills and progress that they had made since last year’s event to the world.
There was also the hype of the high-anticipated triple corks that added to the excitement of the Big Air contest.
Horgmo did not keep the crowd waiting and unleashed his version of triple cork in his very first run for 44 points. The effort, however, did not prove enough to keep him in lead in the race for the highest spot on the podium.
The 25-year-old Norwegian, however, managed to turn things around in the fifth and final run. He soared high into the air and pulled off a switch back-side triple cork 1440, scoring a perfect 50.00 for the effort.
With the combined top-two-run score of 94.00, Horgmo claimed the win and thus added yet another gold medal to his collection.
"I can't believe it," Horgmo said. "I tried it a week ago and I thought I'd give it a shot here. Any of the other podiums I've been on ever, this was the best one for sure. This was the craziest level of riding that I've ever been a part of."
Defending Big Air champion McMorris finished with a top-two-run score of 94.00 as well. However, his two scores included a 48.00, earning off the run in which he landed his version of triple cork, a cab triple under-flip 1440, and a 46.00.
As a result, he was forced to settle for second place and take home the silver instead of gold medal this year.
"Torstein is a boss! What can I say," McMorris said of his friend's victory. "He just absolutely changed the game of snowboarding, and I'm very, very glad I could be a part of it."
Sandbech held on to the lead for most part of the final with his top-two-run score of 91.00, which included a 49.00 and 42.00-point run. However, Horgmo and McMorris pushed him to third place in the final minutes of the jam.
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