Valentino Guseli finished 10th in the men’s snowboard big air final at the Livigno Snow Park on Saturday, February 7th, 2026, but successfully landed a backside 1800 – a trick that caused him a significant knee injury 18 months prior.
The 20-year-old Australian athlete’s participation in the final was unexpected. He received a late call-up to the qualifiers after Canadian Mark McMorris was injured in practice on Wednesday, requiring hospital treatment, according to reports. McMorris, a three-time Olympic medallist, was considered a strong contender for a podium finish.
Guseli acknowledged the unusual circumstances surrounding his qualification. “To be honest, I took qualies as a little bit of a joke,” he told reporters after the final. “I don’t know if that sounds bad, but since I didn’t expect to be there, and then when I got there it was such late notice, I sort of… I had goals, I didn’t have expectations. I just went out there and tried to do the best riding I could, and then miraculously I made the finals.”
The ACL injury, sustained during a backside 1800 attempt at a big air event in Beijing in 2024, kept Guseli off the snow for an extended period and impacted his ability to qualify for events based on merit. He had already secured a place in the half-pipe event at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Despite not medalling, Guseli expressed satisfaction with his performance, particularly completing the backside 1800. “I had a lot of personal wins,” he said. “I did the first backside 1800 on snow since I did my ACL on that same trick a year and a half ago in China, so that’s a massive personal win. Getting over that and owning that trick again instead of it owning me.”
Guseli’s final qualifying score of 91.50, achieved on his third and final run with a switchback 1980 featuring five-and-a-half aerial spins, was the second-highest of the evening and secured his 12th-place finish, allowing him to advance to the final. He is a three-time World Cup winner on the park and pipe circuit.
Scotty James and Valentino Guseli had already qualified for the men’s halfpipe final, with both athletes aiming for gold.
