Snow falls on a sign announcing the postponement of the freestyle skiing men's freeski halfpipe qualifications due to weather conditions during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday. AFP-Yonhap
MILAN — A freestyle skiing event with a South Korean medal hopeful at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics was postponed Thursday due to heavy snow in northern Italy.
The competition's organizers moved the qualification for the men's halfpipe in freestyle skiing from 10:30 a.m. Thursday to 10:30 a.m. Friday at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, 140 kilometers north of Milan.
Lee Seung-hun, the 20-year-old with the 2021 world juniors silver medal and 2025 Asian Winter Games gold medal to his credit, will be among 25 skiers vying for 12 spots in the final. The better score of the two runs in the qualification will be the final score for each skier.
In the final, the athletes will each have three runs, with the best of the three determining their standings.
The final is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday. Unless another change is made, the qualification and the final will take place on the same day.
Snowy conditions in Livigno also affected the schedule for the women's slopestyle snowboard event earlier this week.
In the halfpipe event, skiers perform acrobatic spins and flips on a 22-foot, U-shaped structure. They are judged on the degree of difficulty, height and execution of their tricks.
Source: Korea Times News
