Melville Ives wins Freeski Halfpipe in China

Men’s Freeski Halfpipe Podium [L-R] Luke Harrold NZL (2^nd), Finley Melville Ives NZL (1^st), Hunter Hess USA (3^rd). PHOTO: LI RUNSBENG/FIS PARK & PIPE

Reigning freeski halfpipe World Champion Finley Melville Ives has won the FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup in China.

He was joined on the podium by compatriot Luke Harrold in second.

It's the first time two Kiwi halfpipe competitors have shared a World Cup podium in either freeski or snowboard.

LATEST HEADLINES:

Auckland FC win in A-League

Hayden Wilde T100 winner

Kiwi riders challenged at home

Black Caps beat West Indies

Nix women to return strong

Melville Ives, 19 was wrapt with the result,

“I honestly have no words. It was such tricky conditions today, everyone skied so well, and it was really gnarly...so I honestly can't believe it. Super surreal.”

Conditions were less than ideal today in Secret Garden, with the wind hampering speed and amplitude and requiring the creative use of duct tape to streamline the traditionally baggy ski pants.

“I didn't have the best training today. I had to swap my run with about 10 minutes left of training and ended up taping my pants to try and get more speed and skiing in a T-shirt even though it's freezing," explained Melville Ives.

With 14 men qualified through to the two-run final, the pressure was on to put down a top run right out of the start gate. Melville Ives meant business, dropping in and putting down a huge first run with unrivalled consistent amplitude putting a 90.00-point score on the board, which remained the highest score of the day matched only by himself in his second run.

Harrold was the last athlete to drop into each run as the top qualifier into today’s final, and after the first run was sitting in second place on a score of 88.00, two points behind Melville Ives.

As the final athlete who could bump Melville Ives off the top spot, Harrold gave it everything in his second run and upped his score to 89.00 but it wasn’t enough to challenge Melville Ives for the top step.

For Melville Ives it is his career second World Cup win, his first coming just earlier this year in Canada in February. It is 17-year-old Harrold’s second World Cup podium; he also finished in second place at this very World Cup in 2023 when he was just 15 years old.

Hunter Hess of the USA rounded out the men’s podium in third. In the women’s event, Kiwi Mischa Thomas (Auckland, 17) finished in seventh position at her debut World Cup event.