Winter Olympics 2022 - 'Not sure I want to watch it again' - Gus Kenworthy somehow walks away from horror smash

ByEurosport

Updated 19/02/2022 at 09:06 GMT

Gus Kenworthy miraculously walked away from a wince-inducing crash during the halfpipe final at the Winter Olympics. The impact was so severe that it left colour commentator James Webb questioning whether he wanted to watch the replay. Nico Porteous overcame the treachourous weather to seal gold. The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+

Gus Kenworthy suffered a horror crash during the final of the halfpipe at the Winter Olympics on Saturday.

The 30-year-old brought the curtain down on his career with an eight-placed finish in the final but only after recovering from a brutal fall as he wrestled with wretched conditions at the Zhangjiakou Genting Snow Park.

Miraculously, the 2014 Sochi slopestyle silver medallist walked away from the smash but the severity of the incident was not lost on Ian Findlay and James Webb on Eurosport commentary.

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“Oh no, oh no,” began Findlay, before falling silent.

“I was just about to say you could see the wind gusting up the skier’s left-hand wall as he hit it. Even if he did that pop perfectly, that wind would have knocked him that few centimetres to the deck."

“How has he got on his feet so quickly after that?” asked Findlay.

“That man goes to the gym,” came the reply from Webb.

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“He does go to the gym – let that be an inspiration to you all! It looked like he landed on his back, his lower back on the coping," agreed Findlay. "You go to the gym, you get your gains and that is what gets you out of trouble."

A replay of the incident evidenced the ferocity of the landing, with Webb saying he was “not sure I want to watch it again" before adding "[he] just catches his feet on top and then lands on his coccyx right on the edge."

“It almost ends up like he ends up sitting with his leg over the wall but that is dropping from like over four metres to ice!”

Nico Porteous was the hot favourite and he took gold with USA’s David Wise taking silver and compatriot Alex Ferreira securing a bronze medal.

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The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+

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19/02/2022 at 09:01