How Team USA’s Alex Hall won slopestyle gold at Beijing 2022

“I don’t think it’s really hit me yet,” said US freestyle skier Alex Hall to Olympics.com after winning gold in the men's slopestyle final at Beijing 2022.

In fairness to Hall, not many that watched the American take home the top prize in his first finals run have managed to digest the scintillating display of flair and execution they witnessed.

When the 23-year-old took off for his last jump no one was quite expecting what he would do next.

Already, Hall had played several skill-cards during his opening run at the Genting Snow Park.

He had tiptoed through the rail section in his own unique way, dropped a massive double-cork on the first jump feature and then, creatively used the wave section to put down a switch left 720 nosebutter to 540 Japan out.

What followed blew everyone away.

The lanky American stomped a right double cork 1080 bring-back, effectively stopping a rotation mid-air to come back the other way. It was a trick so innovative it had spectators and commentators roaring in awe.

In a nod to his daring Hall picked up a score of 90.01 from the judges which was enough to bag him the gold ahead of the two-remaining round of runs. Team-mate Nick Goepper eventually clinched the silver for a US 1-2 ahead of Sweden's Jesper Tjader in third.

Recognising the magnitude of what he had just put down on the Olympic stage Hall flopped over the barrier with his head in his hands.

That overwhelming sense of joy and relief was still with Hall when Olympics.com caught up with him after he had collected his golden prize for his boundary-pushing endeavours:

The Alaskan-born skier who grew up in Zurich, Switzerland said, still beaming with pride: “It’s been incredible. I’m just thankful to ski my best and put down a run I was