Hunter Hess’ Olympic dream is hanging by a thread.
In Friday’s men’s halfpipe final, the 27-year-old didn’t have a clean first run, and his second didn’t go any better.
Hess bobbled on a landing and fell to the snow in his first run, which gave him a low score of 27.25.
Following a few jumps on his second run, he fell on a landing, completely losing his right ski and sealing his fate with a “Did Not Improve,” leaving him in 10th of the 12-skier field with one run remaining.
Hess’ rough start came after he finished his qualifying run by holding an “L” to his forehead, a nod to President Donald Trump calling him a “loser” after his comments regarding the U.S.’s immigration policies.
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
“If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” he said. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
