Valentino Guselli said he thought Scotty James’ wire snapped late on his final run in the Winter Olympics halfpipe final was a “sign from God” that his teammate would win the elusive gold medal.
As James entered his once perfect third and final run in Friday’s final, fans were shocked to see one of several cables holding a camera suspended above the pipe snap.
The broken cable flew into the crowd and made contact with some spectators, but when the camera came to rest above the main observation area at the base of the pipe, officials scrambled to clear space underneath it.
If anyone knows what the Shred God is looking for, it’s Val Guselli. (Getty Images: David Ramos)
The IOC has been contacted for comment.
James said he did not know about the incident and could not blame the backside double cork 1620 Japan trying to grab the cable on the final hit, which distracted him and caused him to miss the landing, but playfully suggested he should have done so.
Although James narrowly missed out on winning the coveted gold medal, Guselli said a dramatic moment during the 31-year-old’s final run made it seem like fate was indeed on his side.
“Do you know what went wrong? Did you see the broken wire?” Guselli said.
“I thought it was some kind of omen from the Shred God. He was on the pipe and he was tearing it up. While he was in the pipe, it was like the Shred God was saying, ‘Scotty, we’re in this together.’
“It was like the craziest thing that had ever happened.
“I think they weren’t with him because he wasn’t there.”
Guselli finished fifth in a competitive final won by Yuto Totsuka in front of a packed crowd at the Livigno Snow Park on Friday night.
However, the 20-year-old missed his first two runs and was sitting at the bottom for his third and final run.
Valentino Guselli scored the third and final run to take fifth place. (Getty Images: Patrick Smith)
Fortunately for the triple threatboard riders, Guselli made the final run and earned a score of 88.00, his best result in an Olympic final to date.
“Well, the first two runs were terrible,” Guselli said, his signature grin on his face.
“But I landed the last one, so I was able to get one place better than at the last Olympics.
“So we go up, which is great.”
Guselli said the standards of competition were “insane.”
“Oh, it was big. It was the biggest compilation of all time,” he said.
However, he still felt he could have won if he had completed the run he thought he was capable of.
Valentino Guselli believes his best was enough. (Getty Images: NurPhoto/Federico Mannoni)
“I believed that if I actually snowboarded as hard as I could, I could win,” Guselli said.
“I still believe that if I did my best on snowboarding, I could have won.
“But I didn’t. That’s the nature of this game. I think it’s the worst of all.”
Guselli said the level of competition and the added pressure of the Olympics will be a struggle for everyone, and those who cope with it will have the best chance of coming out on top.
“I definitely think I could have ridden better,” Guselli said. “But dealing with the pressure of the Olympics, especially the finals… it’s crazy.
“Yesterday, I watched the girls and was surprised by the number of crashes.
“I’ve seen these girls do it really consistently, but that night they really didn’t get it.
“And today I understand why.
“The pressure of an Olympic final is huge and I think everyone felt it a little bit.
“Yuto was able to minimize it and run his best, which is great for him.”
Despite the broken bones for James, Guselli pointed to his superstar teammate’s second-place finish as a silver lining.
“Unfortunately for Scotty, he didn’t get the W that everyone expected and expected,” Guselli said.
“But it might keep him in the sport a little longer, which would be great.”