US Skier Nick Goepper Suffers Brutal Halfpipe Crash That Shatters Medal Hopes
Fellow American Alex Ferreira wound up taking gold in the event.
There are many "Oh my god, this seems dangerous" events in the Winter Olympics. And one of them, without question, is the halfpipe.
I mean, when everything is going well, the top-tier athletes who compete in it make it look like nothing. But when it goes wrong, it goes wrong.
Ow.
Unfortunately, US skier Nick Goepper had one of the nastiest crashes I think I've ever seen at the event. Even worse, it cost him what appeared to be a shot at a medal.
The 31-year-old was one of several Americans in the field, and things started great.
His opening run was on the verge of perfection, earning him a massive score of 90.00.
Goepper appeared to be trending toward the podium, but on the final trick of his third run, he went down hard.
I'm not going to play armchair freestyle skiing expert — I watch it every four years and whenever the X Games are on, which feels like several times a year now, for some reason — but, in the video, it looks like from the moment Goepper launched out of the halfpipe, something was off.
That led to Goepper landing on the deck of the halfpipe, and it was brutal.
But, miraculously, he managed to walk away from the crash, which was great to see.
READ: USA MEN WILL BATTLE CANADA FOR OLYMPIC GOLD AFTER CRUSHING SLOVAKIA 6-2
Unfortunately, the crash cost him a medal, but the gold ended up going to his teammate Alex Ferreira, who gave him a shutout after the event.
"Nick's got huge balls," Ferreira said, per USA Today.
Do you realize how big your cajones have to be to have a fellow freestyle skier tip his cap to them? You need a serious pair of brass ones to even try that sport, let alone be good at it.
Here's to hoping Nick Goepper isn't too banged up after that one. And while it wasn't his day for a medal, he certainly had the respect of his competitors.
That's good to win too… but it doesn't look as good on a mantle.