Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli has been awarded a surprise spot in the men's big air qualifiers following the withdrawal of Canadian Mark McMorris due to injury.
McMorris needed to be assisted off the mountain and was taken to hospital after a heavy fall in training on Wednesday night in Livigno.
The 32-year-old Canadian caught his edge after landing in what was described as a "freak accident" by Canadian authorities.
A three-time Olympic medallist in slopestyle and three-time big air World Cup winner, McMorris had been among the contenders for a medal.
But McMorris and Canada's pain is Australia's gain, with 20-year-old two-time Olympian earning a surprise bonus event at the 11th hour.
Guseli, a three-time World Cup winner on the park and pipe circuit, including in big air at Edmonton in 2022, had already qualified for the snowboard half pipe event and, in 2022/23, become the first man to ever win World Cup medals in all three park and pipe disciplines in a single season.
The 20-year-old had, as a result, hoped to qualify for all three park and pipe events for Milano Cortina, but was stymied due to an injury-curtailed qualification period.
However, he has now been given a chance to compete in a second event at this year's Games, with news of his participation revealed just hours before the competitors were due to hit the snow.
Guseli’s entry into the competition was made possible having already qualified in the half pipe competition, as well him having recorded a top 30 performance on the World Cup circuit in big air this season.
His best finishing position in big air this season is 13th in Beijing in December.
McMorris is expected to make a full recovery and take his place in the slopestyle later in the week.
"He did a trick that he landed and unfortunately caught some loose snow, caught his heel edge and had a hard fall," Canadian official Brendan Matthews said.
"If it's Mark and he's not getting up right away, he's taken a pretty hard fall, because he's as tough as they come.
"He was taken with our medical team and the Canadian Olympic Committee medical team to the local hospital for a full round of testing and was released.
"It's always looks scary when somebody takes a hard fall like that, but all things considered, it's good news. Mark wishes to thank everybody for the outpouring of support and concern"
Guseli knows all about the risks of big air. It was at the Beijing big air where he suffered a knee injury in 2024 that ruled him out for that season.
