Hirano mines anger for gold

ZHANGJIAKOU (China) • Ayumu Hirano turned anger into Olympic gold yesterday, shrugging off a perceived injustice to win the Beijing Games men's snowboarding halfpipe title with a dramatic final ride.

The dreadlocked Hirano, a silver medallist at both the 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang Games, was irate and could "not understand" why he was placed second behind Australia's Scotty James despite his jaw-dropping second run.

Rather than let it get to him, the 23-year-old simply got back on his board and put in an even more spectacular performance on his third and final attempt, claiming the gold on the last run of the competition.

"I didn't understand it - I was really angry," the normally mild-mannered Hirano said of the score for his second run, which saw him become the first rider to land the ultra-difficult triple cork move and complete the run.

"But I turned that anger to my advantage in the third run. It helped me concentrate even more than usual."

Hirano ended with 96.00 points, relegating James, 27, to silver on 92.50, while Switzerland's Jan Scherrer took the bronze on 87.25.

American snowboarding legend Shaun White, who was making his final Games appearance before retiring as a five-time Olympian, finished fourth on 85.00.

The competition was touted as potentially the best halfpipe contest in snowboarding history and it lived up to the hype.

Hirano landed a triple cork on his first run but fell soon after, allowing James to take the lead on his second run.

The Olympic champion thought he had wrested the lead back after his second run, but the judges thought otherwise to set up a pressure-drenched finale.

"I knew I had the technique to win, but even so, there are still times when you can fail," said Hirano, who also competed in skateboarding at last year's Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 14th in the park event.

"To do what I set out to do on this stage, and at the very end - I'm very happy with my performance today."

Victory was sweet for Hirano, who lost out on the gold to White on the final run in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Not only did he nail the triple cork but he also managed to finish his run after doing so for the first time, and he expects his trick "might start a new era" in snowboarding.

James, who took the bronze in Pyeongchang, said the competition had shown the best of the sport.

"I'm really proud to be in the mix with the top three," he said. "Any guy in the field today could have executed really well and come away and stood on top. It's an exciting time in snowboarding and today showed that."

Every rider also paid tribute to White, the 35-year-old three-time gold medallist who cut an emotional figure after falling on his final run with a medal in sight.

But the day belonged to Hirano, who the pioneer called "a true athlete". "I know he's wanted it and it's his time," White said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE