Valenta Adds a New Twist

Ales Valenta of the Czech Republic did what no one in Olympic history has ever done in winning the men’s aerial freestyle skiing competition Tuesday.

On his second and final run off a high-speed ramp, flying some 50 to 60 feet into the air, he executed three back flips while--at the same time--spinning through five full twists. No one in Olympic aerials competition had ever before done five twists. No one else even tried on Tuesday, sticking with the comparative safety of four.

Defending Olympic champion Eric Bergoust, 32, of Missoula, Mont., had registered the highest score on the first of the day’s two jumps and, jumping last in the second round, was in position to overtake Valenta. But Bergoust, in a stunning mistake for a competitor who thrives on consistency, took off too fast, never caught up and landed with a splat. He slid from first to 12th--dead last.

Joe Pack, 23, who lives here in Park City, cleanly sailed through two quadruple-twisting triple back flips to win the silver medal. Alexei Grichin, 22, of Belarus, claimed third.

Pack was exuberant throughout and after his jumps. After the first, he played air guitar on his skis. After the second, walking past reporters from around the world, he affected the tone and expression that actor Bill Murray used when playing the golf-course groundskeeper in “Caddyshack,” saying, “Cinderella story. Park City. Ah, he’s got about 160 K2s there,” a reference to his ski length and the brand-name. “Hits it home!”

Pack then gave his beaming girlfriend, Marci Wiser, a big kiss and got hugs and more kisses from dozens of friends and family members who had gathered at the base of the hill. He said, “I’m really pumped I ended up second!”

The double stunner, however, was Valenta’s triumph and, just moments later, Bergoust’s failure.

Much as U.S. freestyle skier Jonny Moseley had thrown a new trick in the men’s moguls competition here just a few days ago--a 720-degree off-axis spin dubbed the Dinner Roll--Valenta was intent on performing the five-twister to push the boundaries of the sport.

“I wasn’t really thinking about doing [the jump] because of winning,” the 29-year-old Valenta said. “I wanted to do it because I can do it.”

He first did the trick in November. He did it again in a contest last month in Canada.

Valenta’s first jump Tuesday left him tied for fifth. After nailing the landing on the five-twister, he collapsed at the bottom of the hill in the snow, face-up, skis still on, and threw his arms up in triumph.

Aerials scoring is a combination of height and distance in the air (20%), execution and precision of the acrobatic tricks while airborne (50%) and landing (30%).

The five-twister rocketed Valenta into first place, with a total of 257.02 points. The five-twister was worth 129.98.

Meantime, Bergoust’s first jump--even with only four twists--had been worth 130.38; he was fluid in the air and stuck his landing. The degree of difficulty on Bergoust’s second jump, again only four twists, was less than Valenta’s, 4.45 to 4.85, but if he nailed the jump--solid acrobatics and a clean landing--he could still win a second gold.

Even Pack, watching below, sitting in second place, thought gold for Bergoust--who already had won this year’s World Cup aerials title--inevitable: “I was thinking bronze, man,” adding of Bergoust, “He’s the man, he’s kind of my mentor.”

Coming through the ramp, however, Bergoust built up too much speed. He said afterward that he knew as soon as he took off that he was in trouble: “I’m probably not going to be able to land this no matter what I do.”

As Bergoust landed, his back and then head slapped against the hill. The crowd gasped.

“I felt like I had to do a really nice jump, really had to risk it, and sometimes when you risk it, it doesn’t work,” Bergoust said.

He also said he had no regrets. “Ales Valenta put down a huge score. I wasn’t going for silver. I wanted to go for gold.”