Finnish freestyle skier Jon Sallinen saw his Winter Olympic hopes dashed after a dramatic crash during the men's halfpipe qualifying at the Beijing 2022 Games. Sallinen lost control as he approached the lip of the halfpipe, flying over the edge and colliding with a camera operator, sending both tumbling into the snow.
The incident occurred at the Genting Snow Park during Sallinen's first run. Fortunately, neither the skier nor the camera operator appeared to sustain serious injuries. The camera operator quickly got back to his feet, and Sallinen dropped back into the pipe to complete his run. He later blamed the snowy conditions for the error.
“I wasn't even sure if I was gonna ski on my second run after my crash, I hope the cameraman is okay, I landed directly on him,” Sallinen said. His second run fared little better, scoring just 18.50 points, leaving him at the bottom of the standings and failing to qualify for the final.
In contrast, Team GB's Gus Kenworthy scraped into the final in 12th place after a second-run score of 70.75, following a disappointing first run of 8.50. “I could have done so much more,” Kenworthy said. “I feel very grateful that I am through to the final, and the final is a new day.”
Team GB also saw success in the women's qualifying, with 19-year-old Zoe Atkin finishing fourth, raising hopes of a medal in the women's final.
