Australia has a habit of dominating freestyle skiing aerials, but China came to Genting Snow Park on a bitingly cold night hoping to win medals for the home country. And China delivered.
With the evening temperature at minus-10 degrees Fahrenheit, Xu Mengtao who won the gold medal, with a back-full-full-full effort executed to near perfection. Hanna Huskova, the defending gold medalist from Belarus, earned silver, and Megan Nick of the United States got bronze.
Xu’s winning trick brought the few Chinese fans in the grandstands to their feet and causing them to cheer, breaking the pandemic-era decorum that asks fans to not yell.