Kyle Smaine of South Lake Tahoe wins halfpipe at Mammoth

Submitted by paula on Fri, 01/19/2018 - 10:56pm

Kyle Smaine of South Lake Tahoe was the surprise winner of the final selection event for the U.S. freeski halfpipe Olympic team at Mammoth Friday, but will it be enough to earn him a discretionary selection?

The 26-year-old Sierra-at-Tahoe skier has a chance.

The U.S. freeski team added four more athletes to its halfpipe roster for PyeongChang on Friday night.

Alex Ferreira and Torin Yater-Wallace are joining David Wise on the men's team, while Brita Sigourney and Devin Logan are joining South Lake Tahoe's Maddie Bowman on the women's team.

For both squads, it all came down to the fifth and final Olympic qualifier in ski halfpipe, which was held at Mammoth Mountain on Friday.

A maximum of four men and four women can go to PyeongChang to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics next month. With a cery strong men's team where more than four could possibly take gold, the final spot will be a tough one to decide.

That fourth spot will be decided by a discretionary selection next week, and Aaron Blunck is currently the frontrunner for that spot. Blunck is the reigning X Games champion and is ranked No. 4 in the selection event standings, making him a strong choice for the pick.

Should the coaches decide to go in a different direction, the most likely options are Kyle Smaine, who was the surprise winner of the qualifier at Mammoth, and Gus Kenworthy (who is likely to make the U.S. team in slopestyle).

U.S. Qualifying Results

Men's freeski halfpipe
1. David Wise, 200** (QUALIFIED)
2. Alex Ferreira, 180** (QUALIFIED)
3. Torin Yater-Wallace, 160** (QUALIFIED)
4. Aaron Blunck, 140**
5. Kyle Smaine, 129*
6. Gus Kenworthy, 116*
**Has fulfilled minimum criteria (two podium finishes)
*Has one podium finish

Women's freeski halfpipe
1. Brita Sigourney, 180** (QUALIFIED)
2. Maddie Bowman, 160** (QUALIFIED)
3. Devin Logan, 140** (QUALIFIED)
4. Annalisa Drew, 95
5. Carly Margulies, 86
**Has fulfilled minimum criteria (two podium finishes)
*Has one podium finish

Information from NBC Sports.