Blunck Takes First X Games Gold
ASPEN, CO (Jan. 27, 2017) – Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, CO) earned his first X Games medal on Friday night and it was golden. Blunck topped a highly competitive field, while Maddie Bowman (South Lake Tahoe, CA) earned her eighth overall X Games medal with a bronze-medal finish. Devin Logan (West Dover, VT) and Birk Irving (Winter Park, CO) both finished just outside the medals in fourth.
In six prior X Games performances, Blunck’s best finish was seventh at Aspen in 2013 and Oslo in 2016. His run in 2017 was highlighted by back-to-back switch doubles—a tough combo that had never before been landed at X Games. Blunck was joined on the podium by silver medalist Miguel Porteous of New Zealand and bronze medalist Noah Bowman of Canada.
Bowman, who was looking for her fifth-consecutive SuperPipe gold medal at X Games Aspen, still put down a solid performance for bronze. Her run included back-to-back 900s—rightside to leftside. France’s Marie Martinod won gold, while Japanese skier Ayana Onuzuka earned silver.
Up next for U.S. Freeskiing at X Games is men’s slopestyle on Saturday morning, as well as men’s and women’s big air on Saturday night.
HIGHLIGHTS
- U.S. Freeskiing pro halfpipe team member Aaron Blunck won gold for the men. His first run scored 84.66: rightside 720 tail grab, switch leftside double 900 Japan, switch rightside double 1080 Japan, leftside 900 opposite tailgrab, rightside double 1260 critical.
- U.S. Freeskiing pro halfpipe team member Maddie Bowman earned bronze. Her first run scored 86.00: rightside 900, leftside 900, rightside 540 high safety, leftside 540, right side 720 little mute, switch leftside 720
