It was revealed after the event that the 17-year-old Olympian was competing with a broken arm.
MILAN, Metropolitan City of Milan — Snowboarders took to the skies Saturday afternoon in the men’s big air finals.
Colorado native Ollie Martin landed in fourth place in his Winter Games debut while representing the United States.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team celebrated the 17-year-old’s performance and said he performed in the event despite a broken arm.
“FOURTH PLACE at his first Olympics with a broken arm,” the organization said Saturday in a post on X. “Ollie Martin, you’re amazing! What an Olympic debut!”
NBC Olympics broadcast announcers said Martin broke his arm while training in Aspen, Colorado. He had surgery 10 days before his event and wanted to keep the injury quiet.
Kira Kimura and Ryoma Kimata led a Japanese gold and silver medal grab in men’s big air. The 21-year-old Kimura edged out his fellow countryman with a blistering final run, scoring a best of 90.50 to surge to the top of the table. He finished with 179.50 points from his best two jumps.
Defending champion Su Yiming of China captured bronze with a final score of 168.50 that nudged Martin off the podium. Martin ended the event with an overall score of 163.00.
During a big air event, snowboarders launch off a massive snow-covered ramp and perform the best tricks they can across three runs. Their top two jumps are combined for a final score while the worst jump is dropped. Points were awarded to the athletes based on the tricks’ execution, technical difficulty and style.
Martin was one of 12 athletes who scored enough points during the qualifying round to advance to the finals.
The teenager already made snowboarding history leading up to the Winter Games as the youngest rider ever to land a 2160, according to U.S. Ski and Snowboarding. That’s six full 360-degree rotations completed while in the air
He also became the only rider in the world to land both a frontside and backside 2160 while simultaneously securing his first career World Cup victory in 2025.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.