Henrik Harlaut won gold in the freeski big air competition at the X Games in Aspen in January. He is among the skiers set to compete at X Games Norway.
It has been an interesting season of ups and downs for Henrik Harlaut. The Swedish freestyle skiing star swept the gold medals in both big air and slopestyle at the X Games in Aspen in January. He entered the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang hoping to improve on a sixth-place finish in slopestyle in Sochi four years earlier. Instead, Harlaut failed to advance out of the qualifying round among the top dozen skiers.
The Swedish freestyle skiing star has been the dominant force in big air competitions for the past half-decade. Harlaut won his first X Games big air gold medal in Aspen in 2013, and has dominated the event ever since. A year later, he successfully defended his gold medal in big air at the 2014 X Games in Aspen. He then took the first two editions of the big air competition at X Games Norway in 2016 and 2017.
Harlaut has one last chance this year to redeem a hot-and-cold season and end 2018 on a high note. Just as he has the past two years, Harlaut is slated to be among the male freestyle skiers lining up to compete in the big air competition at the third edition of X Games Norway. Victory in Oslo would help to redeem a disappointing Olympic year. If Harlaut can muster up a third straight victory in Norway, it will reassert the 26-year-old as the best freestyle skier in the world.
Next: When is X Games Norway 2018?
The ski big air competitions will take place on May 19 in Oslo. Two years ago, when the capital city hosted the event, there were more than 20,000 spectators in attendance. A similar crowd will likely be in attendance this year to see Harlaut defend his X Games gold medals.
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