Gold medallist Alex Ferreira celebrates after the freestyle skiing men`s freeski halfpipe final on Friday.Jeff Pachoud / AFP - Getty Images

Alex Ferreira of the United States won gold in the freestyle skiing men`s halfpipe final at Milan Cortina on Friday, completing his collection of Olympic medals.

The 31-year-old, widely seen as the favourite in his third Winter Games, won halfpipe bronze in 2022 and silver in 2018.

He took the top podium spot in Livigno with a near-perfect third and final run, which earned 93.75 out of 100.

Ferreira`s win consolidated provisional second place for the U.S. in the overall medals table behind Norway and ahead of hosts Italy.

Friday`s final was close-run right to the end, with 19-year-old Estonian newcomer Henry Sildaru emerging as the surprise silver medallist with 93 points on his third attempt.

Canada`s Brendan Mackay, the 2023 halfpipe world champion, won bronze with the very last run of the event on 91 points.

Mackay`s last-gasp effort pushed American Nick Goepper into fourth place, minutes after he suffered a big crash from which he walked away seemingly unscathed.

Another top medal hope, New Zealand`s Fin Melville Ives, had a more serious accident in the morning qualifiers and was taken away to the hospital on a stretcher.

In halfpipe, riders slide across a U-shaped snow ramp and perform acrobatics in the air. They are awarded points based on height, difficulty, variety of tricks, and other factors.