Park City Athletes Shine in Olympic Big Air: Forehand Silver, Podmilsak Fourth

Mac Forehand took silver in the men’s Freeski Big Air at Livigno Snow Park, posting a 98.25 final run and a 193.25 combined total, while Park City Ski Club skier Troy Podmilsak opened the final in bib No. 1 with a 90.50 and ultimately placed fourth after a 94 on his last jump. Norway’s Tormod Frostad won gold with a 98.50 final run and a 195.50 total in a finals evening that included heavy snow and weather delays at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Games.

The medal sequence tightened in the final runs: Austria’s Matej Svancer landed a 96 to vault into second briefly, Forehand answered with a 98.25 to move into first, and Frostad then topped the field with his 98.50 to clinch gold. Hartford Courant reported that after Podmilsak’s 94 with three skiers left, Forehand was assured a medal but not its color; the last three runs decided the podium.

Podmilsak, 21 (born 8/23/2004), carried a hometown narrative into the Livigno Snow Park final. The Park City Ski Club athlete, wearing bib number one and skiing first in every round, “jumped into first place on his opening run with a score of 90.50,” Townlift noted, and an Instagram post echoed that opening score and his clean finals skiing alongside Forehand. Podmilsak told reporters, “I did the tricks I wanted to,” and added, “I set out the plan I wanted to do for qualification. I did it perfectly, and then tried a little step up and it didn’t really go my way.” U.S. Ski & Snowboard notes he started skiing at age three on the Snowflex dry slope at Liberty University and moved into park skiing at six after his family relocated to Park City; Michele Roepke reported his parents Lori and Scott Podmilsak were in the stands.

Forehand, 24 (born 8/4/2001), rebounded from an 11th-place slopestyle finish on Feb. 10 and an X Games Big Air win in Aspen in late January to reach the Big Air podium. ParkRecord captured Forehand’s reaction: “Super pumped,” and “Felt really good in the air, had no struggles at all. Training has been going great.” He described the U.S. team’s depth as “insane” and noted teammates’ camaraderie as they travel to events.

Qualifying set the stage: ParkRecord shows Forehand led qualifying with a combined 183, Austria’s Matej Svancer posted 182.25, Norway’s Birk Ruud had 181, and Podmilsak qualified 10th with a combined 174. Konnor Ralph advanced in 12th with 171.75 and used his final run in the final to attempt a new trick; Ralph said, “Being creative is really a big part of this sport, and the judges reward thinking outside the box. I think I’ll keep spinning, but maybe I’ll throw a little flavor in there,” and later added, “I feel pretty good and happy about it.”

The finals were contested in heavy snow after weather delays, according to the Hartford Courant, heightening the challenge for athletes like Alex Hall, who ParkRecord said landed only his second qualifying run and fell on his third after catching too little speed; Hall told Roepke that some tricks he attempted were ones he had “never landed before.”

Park City’s names on the Olympic roster and the visible support from family and local clubs underscore how local development pathways, from early skiing on Snowflex to Park City Ski & Snowboard programs listed on U.S. Ski & Snowboard, continue to feed world-class competitors on the Olympic stage. Photo coverage from the finals included an AP image by Abbie Parr showing Troy Podmilsak competing in Livigno on Feb. 17.