American Red Gerard threw down three backside 1620 variations to take third Monday in snowboard big air qualifying at the 2022 Winter Olympics, topped by Canadian Max Parrot, winner of last week's slopestyle event.
Gerard scored a 75.50 on Run 1 with a switch backside triple cork 1620, an 80.00 on Run 2 with a backside 1620 and bettered his first-run trick on Run 3 for a 78.75 to total 158.75 and advance to the final.
"[Qualifying] went really good, super happy," Gerard said. "Was able to land three of my three runs … jump's riding really well, built really well, it's a little icy but yeah, lovin' it."
Parrot tried to up his Run 1 cab triple 1620 with an 1800 on Run 3 but missed; his 78.25 and Run 2 score of 86.50 – earned on a front triple 1620 – combined for a round-leading sum of 164.75.
"I'm in a really good position," Parrot said. "I was trying to upgrade and go for the 1800, unfortunately I had a miscalculation and I was a little short. I went bigger than expected … But my goal was to land these two 1620s, and I made it."
Both Japan's Takeru Otsuka and China's Su Yiming were able to put down 1800s – Otsuka's a cab triple on Run 3, and Su's a backside on Run 1. Otsuka was able to get a solid cab triple 16 in for a second-best run to total 160.00 and place second.
Gerard's teammate Chris Corning hit a backside triple 1620 to take 10th and move on, while fellow Americans Sean FitzSimons and Dusty Henricksen were a respective 17th and 21st and didn't advance.