Big names wow in men’s halfpipe qualifiers

What was supposed to be a more subdued qualifier for the men’s snowboard halfpipe turned into a game of one-upmanship Tuesday at the PyeongChang Olympics.

With scores from qualifying not carrying over to Wednesday’s final, all the 29 competitors needed to do was just enough land in the top 12 to advance.

Instead, Shaun White threw down a run scored at 93.25 to top the standings after the first of two runs.

That soon fell by the wayside as Ayumu Hirano of Japan scored a 95.25 on his second run only to be topped by Australian Scotty James’ 96.75.

Seemingly unfazed, White responded with a second run scored at 98.50 to leapfrog back to the top of the qualifying standings for good.

The other Americans in the field, Ben Ferguson (91.00 on his first run), Chase Josey (83.75 on his second run) and Jake Pates (82.25 on his second run), also qualified for the three-run final.