New Zealand’s Nico Porteous claims Winter Olympics freeski halfpipe gold after rivals crash in strong winds

New Zealand has won a second gold medal at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics after Nico Porteous claimed a resounding victory in a controversial men’s freeski halfpipe final.

There were numerous heavy crashes in swirling and gusty wind at Genting Snow Park on Saturday, sparking anger from fans in rival nations over the decision not to postpone the event.

Porteous scored a 93 in his opening run after landing back-to-back 1620s on a bitterly cold morning.

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“I had a really good training. I’ve done that run a lot, so really wanted to land it first run - and I did,” Porteous told Channel 7.

He went straight to the gold medal position and stayed there for the remainder of the competition as conditions worsened and skiers struggled.

American two-time champion David Wise (90.75) and compatriot Alex Ferreira (86.75) took silver and bronze respectively, also thanks to their first runs.

“I guess with a little bit of luck on my side with the weather, everything lined up and here I am,” Porteous added.

As the No.2 seeded qualifier, Porteous was second last to compete and had to wait until the final competitor, USA’s Aaron Blunck, finished his run to confirm the gold.

However, Blunck crashed badly on his final effort - and Porteous delayed his celebrations until it was confirmed he was alright.

Just before Blunck went, NBC freestyle skiing analyst Tom Wallisch commented: “These conditions are abysmal right now.”

Blunck wasn’t the only to spend time hurt on the snow, with retiring British skier Gus Kenworthy crashing onto the lip of the halfpipe on his second run.

Sochi silver medallist Kenworthy, who told the BBC he felt happy to “get through it in