In a day which saw many falls, teammate Mitchell Brown also struggles

Vancouver, Canada (17 February 2010) – New Zealand Olympian James Hamilton missed qualification in today’s snowboard halfpipe event on Cypress Mountain by a mere 1.6 points. He finished 10th but needed a ninth or better to move to the next round of competition.

Photo: James Hamilton Credit: Getty Images Sport

Hamilton was in the same heat as United States mega-star Shaun White whose pioneering exploits have taken the sport to unprecedented elevations, twists and turns.

After falling in his first run and collecting just 5.2 points, Hamilton recovered with 28 in his second.

Coach Tom Willmott says that was a relief: “We could see the judges just wanted a clean run so we went with a front 1080 cab seven which is Jimmy’s speciality. It meant he could get in five hits [on the pipe]. His run was solid. It was good that having crashed first, Jimmy was able to deal with the pressure. More experienced riders crashed both times.”

Hamilton says he adapted as the day went on.

“In the first run I was affected with so many people around and the fact it was the Olympics. In the second run I just let go and was pleased. But it wasn’t as technical as it could have been after I crashed – maybe that was a bad decision…”

Mitchell Brown fell right at the end of his first run for 18.4 points then fell midway through his second for 15.2.

Photo: Mitchell Brown Credit: Getty Images Sport

“There were a few positives. I landed some new tricks at good amplitude,” said Brown.

Willmott reflected on his charge’s effort: “He went for broke, that was his only option. It came unstuck. It’s disappointing but I’m proud of both their efforts.”

In a general summary Willmott commented on the number of crashes over the course of the day: “There had been limited training time and the athletes were generally fatigued as they’d pushed themselves hard the night before.”

In the second final run, Finland’s Peetu Piiroinen was the most threatening, with amplitude and sass in his combination of tricks which was enough for him to claim the silver medal. American Scott Lago picked up the bronze.

That left White having won the gold medal. It also left him with a second run with absolutely no pressure. He didn’t disappoint, marveling the crowd with a stunning combination of a double cork, a 1080 and then the famous Double McTwist. The judges were impressed, scoring him 9.7’s out of a possible perfect 10.

Tune in tomorrow for flagbearer Juliane Bray, Kendall Brown and Rebecca Sinclair in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding from 9.30am at Cypress Mountain.