SEAMUS O’CONNOR FINISHED in 15th in the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe at the Winter Olympic Games in Beiljing.
O’Connor became the first Team Ireland athlete to compete in three Winter Olympic Games, clocking a score of 57.0 with a ride that included a range of tricks which started with the backside air and ended with a front side double-cork 1080.
The first run saw several of the top seeded athletes coming down and scoring low, and O’Connor went into the second run ranked eleventh.
“Snowboarding is, to me, the funnest thing in the world,” said O’Connor afterwards.
“And every day that I get to ride a snowboard, I’m thankful. My first run was a little bit sketchy. I had it down better yesterday, so I put it down and I was stoked for that. But I was really looking towards my second run to come back and clean it up and just put that Seamus signature on it.
“But something went wrong on the takeoff of my first trick on the second run. And I had to pull out of the double, which then ended the run for me. But it’s snowboarding and it’s never perfect. And that’s alright. I’m super thankful to be down there in one piece and to be in my third Games. Overall, it’s been an incredible experience.”
He added, “I can’t thank all the school kids back in Ireland enough. It’s the best part of these games, hands down.
“You guys have filled me with motivation and passion and so much light and energy. I, like I said, can’t thank you enough. I hope that I can get back to Ireland and come see you guys in person. You guys are truly stars. Thank you so much for your support.”
Meanwhile, Tess Arbez was also in action, finishing 48th overall in the Women’s Slalom after two clean runs, in an icy event that saw thirty athletes marked as DNF.
It came after her disappointment in the Giant Slalom, where she was one of the non-finishers.
In her first run Arbez finished 55th with 1:07.83, and moved up to 48th overall with a time of 1:06.78 in her second run, giving a total of 2:14.61.
Petra Vlhova (Slovakia) won the gold medal ahead of Austria’s Katharina Leinsberger in silver; Wendy Holdener (Switzeraldn) rounded off the podium with a bronze medal.
Tomorrow, Jack Gower will be the only Team Ireland athlete to compete, when he races the Alpine Combined, an event that includes Downhill and Slalom, with the overall standing being a combination of the two individual times.
Results – Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifying
Top ranks going into final (12 to qualify)
First — Ayumu Hirano (Japan) 93.25
Second — Scotty James (Australia) 91.25
Third — Ruka Hirano (Japan) 87.00
15th Overall – Seamus O’Connor (IRL) 57.00
Alpine Skiing – Women’s Slalom
Gold – Petra Vlhova (SVK) 1:44.98
Silver – Katharina Liensberger (AUT) 1:45.06 (+0.08)
Bronze – Wendy Holdener (SUI) 1:45.10 (+0.12)
48th – Tess Arbez (IRL) 2:14.61 (+29.63)
Schedule – 10 February
02:30 Irish Time – Jack Gower, Alpine Skiing, Alpine Combined Downhill
06:15 Irish Time – Jack Gower, Alpine Skiing, Alpine Combined Slalom
- Morning report provided by the Olympic Federation of Ireland
