Three Americans found themselves having to ski in the second qualifying round of the men’s moguls in order to try and qualify for the final. Casey Andringa, Brad Wilson and Emerson Smith all found themselves on the outside looking in after the first round of qualifying.
The final takes place at 7 a.m. ET, just an hour and a half after the start of the qualifying round.
First up, was American Casey Andringa. He was close to making the U.S. squad in Sochi but was left off the roster. Andringa put together as good of run he could have hoped for. He did a double twist off the second jump and looked ecstatic as he crossed the finish line in a time of 25.57. He was rewarded with a score of 77.37, which was good for second in the round.
Bradl Wilson was the second American to ski. He had a few issues in the mid-section, with his legs coming apart. He made up for it on the second jump, getting big air and coming down clean. He crossed the finish line 24.76 seconds, and earned a score of 76.33.
It was a surprise for Jae Woo Choi of South Korea to not qualify in the first run. He is currently ranked fourth in the World. Choi redeemed himself, he finished his run in 25.93 seconds. His first jump was impressive, gathering huge air off the top. He earned an 81.23 in front of a loud-cheering crowd. He was the top qualifier of the round.
Emerson Smith was the last American to ski and did not qualify for the final. He made his world cup debut in 2016 and is just 20 years old. Emerson had a good run and crossed the line in 25.43. However, the judges did not reward him. He will leave disappointed as finished 13th overall in the second qualifying round.
Andringa and Wilson will join American Troy Murphy who already qualified men’s final.
