Forehand, 17, Finishes Fourth in Worlds
Two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) added a second World Championship medal to his collection, grabbing the bronze medal in Park City, Utah, Wednesday, at the 2019 Snowboard, Freeski and Freestyle World Championships, presented by Toyota. And just behind him was a 17-year-old from Vemont: Mac Forehand
Goepper, who also claimed the slopestyle bronze at the 2013 World Championships, stepped up to the challenge of a stacked field, variable snow conditions and fading afternoon flat light, to post his best score on his third and final run to seal the podium finish.
” In this type of weather it’s about competing and not necessarily the skiing,” said Goepper. “There’s a lot of strategy involved. If you going forward or switch, because you tend to get more speed forward. I’m one of the veterans out here and I think experience really helps. It’s about picking those tricks that allow you to dial in your landing and carry speed into a tuck and get through the next feature. That was my play today.”
Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) performed very well in tough conditions as well as through some equipment malfunctions and finished just outside the podium in fourth. Forehand broke his skis in practice and had to pivot to find a solution right before the competition. It came down to the wire as organizers were forced to adjust his start position to accommodate the situation. In true World Championship spirit, a French coach offered up his skis for Forehand’s first run, which happen to be identical.
[For more on Mac Forehand, see our profile on him when he was just 13]
“I broke my skis in practice,” said Forehand. “I ended up not having any skis for finals, but the French coach offered his skis for my first run. For my second run, my mom actually ran to where we were staying and picked up my other pair and brought them up to the top of the course for me. Shout out to all moms out there, especially my mom for making it happen.”
Great Britain’s James Woods took home the UK’s first gold medal in World Championship freeski competition. Norway’s Birk Ruud was second. McRae Williams (Park City, Utah) finished seventh.
“The Park City crowd today was bumping,” said Woods. “It’s pretty cold and since it has been dumping, there have been plenty of skiing opportunities. It’s nice everyone came out and supported freeskiing. I appreciate that a lot.”
Via US Ski and Snowboard
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