Nick Page reacts following a run in the men's moguls finals at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on Feb. 5, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China.
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – U.S. moguls skier Nick Page took fifth in the men’s moguls final on Day 1 of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Page, 19, aimed to make history for Team USA by becoming the first U.S. Olympic medalist in over a decade but ultimately came up short of that goal. He was the lone American to make it to the medal round after strong run the last chance qualifier.
First Olympic Games ➡️ First Olympic Final @nickpage_ski advances to the men's moguls final after this send. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/BRtazch23I
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) February 5, 2022
The Park City, Utah, freestyle skier made the most of his spot into the third and final round on Saturday. He scored a 78.90 total thanks to a 14.14 time score (in 25.68), 17.16 air score and 47.60 turn score to finish fifth.
“I don’t even know a word for it right now, but it was really special,” said Page after the finals. “To think about all the work that I’ve been doing since last March when the season ended – I mean the last four years it’s been on my mind – that 20-second window. I was going up the lift for that last run thinking, ‘Man, this is it, this is what I’ve worked for, for so long.’”
Sweden’s Walter Wallberg won gold with an 83.23 in the final run of the competition, taking down Mikael Kingsbury, the 2018 defending gold medalist from Canada. Kingsbury scored an 82.18 while Japan’s Ikuma Horishia claimed bronze with 81.48.
At 7 years old, Page got into moguls skiing after watching the last American to ever medal in men’s moguls, Bryon Wilson, claim bronze at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010. Wilson now represents Team USA in a different capacity: Page’s coach.
Page and his coaching team pushed for flashy mute grabs, and cork 720s and 1080s in the aerials portion of finals, putting him into medal-contending position. For the 19-year-old, however, his final run was executed exactly as he dreamt it.
Want to follow Team USA athletes during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022? Visit TeamUSA.org/Beijing-2022-Olympic-Games to view the medal table and results.
