US freeskier Hunter Hess delivered a defiant response to Donald Trump's criticism during the Winter Olympics halfpipe event on Friday, flashing an L-sign after his run. Trump had called Hess a 'real loser' earlier in the Games after the skier expressed mixed feelings about representing his country. 'Apparently I am a loser. I am leaning into it,' Hess said of his gesture.
Hess's spectacular run earned him a place in the men's halfpipe final later in the day, but he failed to secure a clean run and finished 10th. Gold went to American teammate Alex Ferreira, who firmly backed Hess afterwards, stating, 'Hunter is a member of our team. He's a great guy. Others may disagree. But I stand by my teammate.' Estonian Henry Sildaru took silver and Canadian Brendan Mackay bronze.
Despite the abuse from Trump and subsequent online attacks, Hess said he had no regrets about speaking out. 'I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough. I stand with what I said,' he said. However, he admitted the controversy had made for 'probably the hardest two weeks of my life,' but credited his family and skiing for helping him through.
British-born US skier Gus Kenworthy, who finished sixth, also faced controversy over an Instagram image reading 'Fuck ICE' written in urine on snow. He defended his right to free speech, saying, 'It is our constitutional right as Americans to say what we feel, speak truth to power.' Hess and Kenworthy trained together before the event and shared their experiences, with Hess saying Kenworthy 'gave me some pointers... to get out of the pain and focus on the good.'
The dangers of the sport were highlighted when event favourite Finley Melville Ives needed medical attention after a heavy crash in qualifying, and Nick Goepper landed hard on his back in the final but walked away after treatment.
