Ireland's Ben Lynch has made history by becoming the first Irish skier to qualify for any final at the Winter Olympics after advancing from the men's halfpipe event.
Lynch finished 11th overall after two runs, with the top 12 of the 25-strong field progressing through to tonight's final.
Dublin-born Lynch, who moved to Vancouver when he was two, became the fourth and final member of Team Ireland to see action at the Games.
He was due to compete on Thursday before adverse weather conditions and snowfall at Livigno Snow Park in Valtellina saw the event pushed out a day.
It was an anxious wait, but Ben Lynch's second round 75.75 in the men’s halfpipe means he becomes the first Irish skier to qualify for any final in the Winter Olympics pic.twitter.com/6rzUjs9MeA
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 20, 2026
The 23-year-old, who spent the build-up to the Games recovering from a knee injury, posted a score of 57 in his opening qualification run. Upon completion of run 1, Lynch sat in 14th position overall but improved to 11th with a second run of 75.75 to advance to tonight's final, which begins at 6.25pm and will be broadcast live on RTÉ Player.
It was no surprise afterwards to hear Lynch revel in what he had just achieved.
"I'm feeling unbelievable, I'm so excited, really grateful to be here and to make the final is the cherry on top, he said.
In my first run, I landed perfectly. I went for the right 12 in my second run which I hadn't done in training, so it was the first time for me today. To land that in my run was unbelievable.
"I skied better than I ever have today. I'm officially an Olympian and officially a finalist which is just mind-blowing."
New Zealand's Fin Melville Ives crashed badly, ruling out one of the top medal hopefuls.
The 19-year-old current halfpipe world champion fell on both qualification runs, but more seriously on the second.
Medics intervened immediately, while spectators fell silent for several tense minutes before he was stretchered away.
Team New Zealand said Melville Ives took a "heavy knock" but was conscious and would be assessed and undergo an X-ray.
"Everything stable and positive. Talking to his mum who is with him."
Watch the Winter Olympics with highlights each night and selected live coverage on RTÉ Player
