Winter Olympics: Slopestyle to no style for pants-down Harlaut

Sweden's Henrik Harlaut performs a jump during the men's freestyle skiing slopestyle qualification round at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Rosa Khutor, on Feb 13, 2014. Henrik Harlaut did not win a medal in the Olympic Games freestyle skiing
Sweden's Henrik Harlaut performs a jump during the men's freestyle skiing slopestyle qualification round at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Rosa Khutor, on Feb 13, 2014. Henrik Harlaut did not win a medal in the Olympic Games freestyle skiing slopestyle competition on Thursday, but he did catch the eye thanks to his underwear. -- PHOTO: AFP

ROSA KHUTOR, Russia (AFP) - Henrik Harlaut did not win a medal in the Olympic Games freestyle skiing slopestyle competition on Thursday, but he did catch the eye thanks to his underwear.

As he skied down the 500-metre course, he gradually started to lose his ski pants, until they were almost down to his knees by the time he landed his final jump.

But the Swedish athlete, who also sports dreadlocks, insists he has always skied like this and that he is not about to change his style.

"It's part of my style, I always had it like this so I'm not going to change," he told AFP.

And he claimed that having his trousers so low does not affect his ability to pull off tricks.

"I don't think skiing with my ski pants so low is an issue. I have been skiing like this for 10 years now. It is my style and has been for a while. I feel really comfortable."

Harlaut insisted there was never actually any danger of him becoming fully exposed as he was still wearing colourful underwear beneath his ski pants.

"I have suspenders which are all the way up to my shoulders to hold them up (his ski pants)."

Harlaut finished sixth in the final, which was won by American Joss Christensen, who led a United States podium sweep with Gus Kenworthy taking silver and Nicholas Goepper securing bronze.

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