It's not about how you start, but how you finish.

Japanese freestyle skier Ikuma Horishima definitely lived up to that motto after a wild ending to his dual moguls quarterfinals face-off against Nick Page (USA). 

In a competition riddled with crashes, stumbles, and disqualifications, Horishima and Page managed to deliver all three in a race that the internet practically devoured.

Horishima and Page competed in the Olympic debut of men's dual moguls, in which two skiers race each other down a moguls-covered slope while performing two aerial jumps in a single-elimination bracket. Horishima, who claimed bronze in men's moguls on Thursday, came into the quarterfinal with a bye while Page bested Finland's Rasmus Karjalainen in the round of 16.

As both skiers left the starting gate, it was Horishima who took the slight lead. He held his form upon landing his top air jump while Page landed a bit awkwardly, his knees and hips unable to absorb the impact of his jump. The American's speed quickly got the best of him as he lost control, flying over the moguls rather than skiing between them. It was all too much for Page, and he ended up veering off the course.

By the time Page skied out of bounds, Horishima was battling to maintain his own speed. He briefly skied into Page's lane as his skis slipped out of the crisp back and forth pivot movements needed to navigate the moguls, barreling down towards the bottom air in a way that would have had any other skier crashing out.

Not Horishima.

The 28-year-old audaciously braved the second ramp at breakneck speed, his body flung into the air like a ragdoll. Horishima, who is known for attempting some of the most difficult aerial tricks in competition, wasn't even trying for a simple flip as he contorted his body to brace for impact.

He hit the course on the back end of his skis, snow flying everywhere as he continued to tumble down the slope. Whether it was fate or coincidence is anyone's guess, but by some miracle, Horishima bounced against a mogul that propelled him back up to his feet. Only, he was facing backwards.

"Oh my god," is all 2010 Olympic moguls champion and NBC commentator Hannah Kearney could say as Horishima bounced backwards over the finish line. 

By this point, Page was back on course, crossing just behind Horishima. It didn't matter, of course, as skiing off the course immediately disqualified him from the race. 

Like moguls, dual moguls are judged by turns, air, and speed, but with skiers splitting 35 points between them rather than earning individual scores. Horishima nabbed all 35 points with Page's disqualification, later winning his semifinal run to go on to claim the silver medal. Page finished 15th overall.

“The course was icy, and the rhythm of the bumps was not consistent," Horishima said later on of his run. "Usually, when I feel good, the rhythm is very consistent, and it’s easy for me to go faster. But when here, sometimes it’s a bigger bump and then a smaller bump. It’s hard to remember every bump. My confidence level was low."

No one can criticize Horishima for that reaction, although he may be comforted in knowing he's the internet's new favorite Olympic obsession. After all, not everyone bounces back like that without shattering a knee or two.