Nico Porteous performs a trick en route to a second-place finish in halfpipe qualifying. Photo / Getty
Nico Porteous performs a trick en route to a second-place finish in halfpipe qualifying. Photo / Getty
Gold-medal hopeful Nico Porteous has overcome some "Olympic jitters" to produce under pressure and book his place in the halfpipe final.
But relief would have been the overriding emotion in the New Zealand team in Beijing as a mixed day ended with an awful crash.
After six New Zealand freeskierscompeted in today's halfpipe qualification at Genting Snow Park, only Porteous and older brother Miguel had secured spots in Saturday's final.
Any disappointment among those who had missed out, however, was quickly replaced by concern for Ben Harrington, whose attempt to make it three Kiwis in the men's final ended almost in disaster.
The 22-year-old was approaching the end of an expansive second run when he lost control in the air and crashed heavily on the lip of the pipe.
Harrington seemed to hit his head and slid to a stop, initially appearing motionless as medics and his compatriots raced to his side. But after a few worrying moments he was helped to his feet and eased to the bottom of the course.
"I'm OK, I'm just bummed," Harrington later told Sky Sport. "I really wanted to be in the finals and the last run was going great but I just fell at the end. But I'm just happy that I'm healthy."
Miguel Porteous, having just sealed a berth in his first Olympic final, was experiencing "weird emotions" after his personal high was completely overshadowed.
"That was one of the gnarliest crashes I've ever seen in the pipe," Porteous said. "For it to be one of our teammates, your heart just sinks when you see that."
Ben Harrington crashes out during halfpipe qualifying. Photo / Getty
Both Porteous brothers will now have plenty of time to recover from that shock before chasing a podium place, with Nico looking capable and confident of adding another medal to the bronze he won in the same event four years ago.
The 20-year-old, reigning world and X Games champion, qualified for the final in second after an eye-catching second run, responding well an underwhelming opening effort that made him sweat amid the snow.
"I put a bit of pressure on myself after that first run," Porteous said after a solid if unspectacular effort brought a score of 75.50. "I didn't quite ski the way I wanted to and missed a couple of grabs - sort of getting the Olympic jitters out of the way."
They had certainly been banished by the time Porteous dropped in for his second attempt.
Sitting precariously in eighth after the 23-strong field had completed the opening round, with only the top 12 progressing to the final, the Wanaka skier once more delivered when it mattered most.
Porteous put down a near-flawless technical run that was highlighted by a huge double cork 1620, providing a succinct verdict to the cameras while waiting for his score: "That was better."
Indeed it was, the judges soon rewarding Porteous with a mark of 90.50, moving him into second behind American Aaron Blunck (92.00) and providing a psychological boost ahead of Saturday's shootout for the medals.
"Coming into the second run, I knew I had pressure on me," Porteous said. "I just thought I'd stick to what I know and try to do that run again, and it paid off."
Porteous said he had been attempting, with little success, to ignore the stakes involved with Olympic competition, but the presence of big brother Miguel in the final will surely help.
The 22-year-old fired in his first run to receive an opening score of 81.00, eventually qualifying in ninth after an abandoned second effort.
Harrington's first score of 69.25 saw him end the competition only 1.5 points off the all-important 12th position - a placing that might have hurt more than his body - while 16-year-old Gustav Legnavsky finished 19th.
Anja Barugh performs a trick during women's freeski halfpipe qualification. Photo / Getty
In the women's section, Olympic debutants Chloe McMillan and Anja Barugh struggled for the momentum needed to display any significant amplitude, finishing 18th and 19th respectively in the 20-strong field.
