Winter Olympics 2026 Olympics Hunter Hess crashes in freestyle halfpipe final after addressing Trump ‘loser’ label By Bridget Reilly Published Feb. 20, 2026, 2:38 p.m. ET Hunter Hess’ Olympic dream is hanging by a thread.
In Friday’s men’s halfpipe final, the 27-year-old didn’t have a clean first run, and his second didn’t go any better.
Hess bobbled on a landing and fell to the snow in his first run, which gave him a low score of 27.25.
Hunter Hess of United States reacts during the first run of the Men’s Freeski Halfpipe Final. REUTERS Following a few jumps on his second run, he fell on a landing, completely losing his right ski an sealing his fate with a “Did Not Improve” leaving him in 10th in of the 12-skier field with one run remaining.
Hess’ rought start came after he finished his qualifying run by holding an “L” to his forehead, a nod to President Donald Trump calling him a “loser” after his comments regarding the U.S.’s immigration policies.
Hunter Hess of United States in action during the first run of the Men’s Freeski Halfpipe Final. REUTERS 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS See today’s Olympics schedule and medal count Jadin O’Brien’s unlikely Olympic odyssey began with a suspicious DM The story behind Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu’s viral ‘smiley’ piercing Amber Glenn shields crying figure skater from cameraman after crushing Olympic moment These athletes and A-listers at the Milan Olympics served up gold-medal looks “If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it,” he said. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
