Mens snowboarding halfpipe final Australia medal results, tally, schedule, how to watch
– Livigno: To the untrained eye, Olympic halfpipe snowboarding looks like a bunch of shaggy-haired teenagers along with a few adults who refuse to grow up and get real jobs taking turns throwing themselves into a frozen concrete ditch.
When you look closer you can see a fascinating high stakes poker game.
Valentino Guseli is in qualifying.Credit: access point
There’s a lot going on; Layers of intrigue, risk and sleight of hand determine who wins the jackpot and who goes home with deep pockets.
“The strategy is very big,” according to Valentino Guseli, who has a high chance of getting a medal tonight.
“It’s definitely like gambling. But we gamble with a lot of things. We gamble with our bodies… even trying a new trick can be a gamble. You may have wishful thinking about where you want to try that new trick, but you may not be ready for it. You try, you break, and it’s over.”
In other words, a bad flush.
Read more about the risks Guseli had to take to win a medal tonight.
