Aussie Valentino Guseli qualifies for big air final in Winter Olympics stunner

Young gun Valentino Guseli has nailed his last jump to clinch a place in the finals of the Olympic snowboard big air event after only being given a start when another athlete withdrew.

The 20-year-old went large on his third and final jump at Livigno’s Snow Park and scored a 91.50 to cement the last spot in the 12-man final.

After scoring 73.25 on his first run and 71.50 on his second, Guseli knew he needed something special to qualify into the final on Sunday morning (0530 AEDT).

With competitors in big air launching off a ramp built on scaffolding that rises more than 50 metres above the course, Guseli soared and spun before nailing his landing.

He threw his snowboard into the air in delight at securing the equal second-best score of the day, with a combined total of 163.0.

“I reached a state that I haven’t been in in quite a while, called ‘flow state’, and I could see it all just happened for me,” Guseli told Nine.

“And sometimes that just happens, you know, you drop in, and then it’s like you didn’t even have to try. And the trick just works.

“And you get to the bottom, and you’ve landed like, I got to the bottom and I, like, snapped back into reality and realised, and I just, I don’t know, it was pretty crazy.

“So today, we basically still weren’t sure when we went and did this, but I haven’t really hit many jumps in the last little while. So I went over to the little baby park over there, hit the only jumps available, which were pretty small and worked on my tricks.

“And then yeah, by the time I did my last jump, I’d only hit this jump 10 times, which usually you’ve hit it like maybe 50 or 60 times by the time you’re more by the time you compete on it.

“So to have made finals now is just I’m so stoked about it. And yeah, definitely one of the top moments of my life.”

Hiroto Ogiwara led a three-man Japanese attack in the field with a top score of 178.5 points, while three New Zealanders - Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson and Dane Menzies - also making the cut.

Ogiwara smashed the record books for snowboarding at the 2025 Aspen X Games when he landed the first 2340-degree jump (six-and-a-half rotations) in competition.

Home favourite Ian Matteoli was second in qualifying with 174.5 points, giving the Italian fans a reason to cheer.

Guseli was given the surprise honour of being the first Australian to compete at the Milan-Cortina Olympics after being granted a start into the event on the day of competition.

He had ambitions of competing in three events in Italy - big air, slopestyle and halfpipe - but failed to qualify for the first two after injuring his ACL in late 2024.

Guseli is still considered a strong medal chance in the halfpipe after winning a World Cup event in Calgary and placing sixth at the Beijing Olympics, where he made his debut.

Australia’s Torah Bright became the first person to compete in three snowboard disciplines at a single Olympics when she lined up at Sochi in 2014 in the halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboard cross, winning silver in the halfpipe.

As first reserve Guseli got the nod for the big air following the withdrawal of Canadian Mark McMorris due to injury.

Qualification for big air and slopestyle are linked but Guseli isn’t guaranteed a start in slopestyle with McMorris given the opportunity to recover and compete.

The Canadian veteran was carried off on stretcher after he crashed during training in Livigno, with competitors in big air launching off a ramp built on scaffolding that rises more than 50 metres above the course.

McMorris has won bronze in the slopestyle at the past three Olympics and said on social media that he hoped to take his place in the event.

The 32-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries in 2017 after crashing into a tree while snowboarding and has since competed with a rod in his leg, a plate in his arm and another in his jaw.