:no_upscale())
In the final event for the NZ Team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, 17-year-old Mischa Thomas delivered an impressive performance in the women’s Freeski Halfpipe final, finishing eighth in her Olympic debut.
With podium places set to be determined not only by the biggest tricks but by how well athletes could link an entire run from top to bottom, judges scored on difficulty, amplitude, variety and execution.
Thomas brought huge energy out of the start gate, and it was her opening run that would prove her best. Dropping in switch (backwards), she pieced together a clean, stylish run packed with variety: a right-side 360 tail grab, a left-side 900 tail grab, a right-side 540 mute, an alley-oop 360 Japan, a switch left alley-oop flat spin 540, and a switch left 720 to finish. Her score of 77.75 placed her fourth after run one — just behind China’s Li Fanghui, who held third on 81.25.
However, defending Olympic champion Eileen Gu had yet to put down a clean run, and the leaderboard was poised for a shake-up.
Thomas couldn’t lift her score on run two, but she looked to be enjoying every moment of her Olympic experience — stylish, composed, and committed to going big, especially on her left-side 900. Her final run came unstuck when she got hooked up on the shady, icier wall of the pipe, ending her chance to improve but not dampening her spirits.
“It’s an insane experience,” she said after the competition. “To have my team around me, my family here, it’s pretty special. It’s the biggest honour to wear the fern, it’s a real pinch me moment.”
At the top end of the field, a fierce battle for gold unfolded between China’s Gu and Li. As expected, Gu came out firing on run two, landing a massive run for 94 points to take the lead. Li answered with 91.50, keeping the pressure on. On run three, Gu pushed the benchmark higher to 94.75. Li lifted her own score to 93, but couldn’t reel her teammate in.
Meanwhile, the final athlete to drop — Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin — was also in the hunt. Sitting third with 90.50, she delivered her best when it counted, scoring 92.50 on her last run to secure the bronze medal.
Women’s Freeski Halfpipe medal:
Gold: Gu Ailing Eileen (CHN)
Silver: Li Fanghui (CHN)
Bronze: Zoe Atkin (GBR)