Olympic skier surprises announcers in medal race: “I can’t believe what I see”
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The Milan 2026 Cortina Games continued to have viral moments as Japan’s Ikuma Horishma’s silver medal in the two-mogul event ended in wild fashion.
Horishima and American Nick Page were on the hill, when the latter was excluded from the limits during his race.
But, when Horishima was about to reach the last hill, he lost his balance after performing a backflip.
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Gold medalist Mikael Kingsbury of Team Canada (C), silver medalist Ikuma Horishima of Team Japan (L) and bronze medalist Matt Graham of Team Australia participate in the national anthem during the medal ceremony of the Men’s Dual Moguls Final on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Air Park on February 15, 2026, in Livigno, Italy. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
After falling for a brief second, Horishima somehow regained his balance, but was looking back down the mountain.
Instead of trying to turn, Horishima simply looked back and continued down the steep mountain backwards as he crossed the finish line.
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NBC announcers memorized what they witnessed from Horishima.
“Oh my God, what’s going on? I can’t believe my eyes,” commentator Trace Worthington said. “Ikuma Horishima crosses the line backwards.”
Matt Graham of Team Australia and Ikuma Horishima of Team Japan compete in the Men’s Dual Moguls Semifinal on day nine of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Air Park on February 15, 2026, in Livigno, Italy. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury received the gold medal in the event, while Australia’s Matt Graham finished behind Horishima to win bronze.
Horishima won his second medal at these Winter Games, taking bronze in the men’s mogul category. He finished behind Cooper Woods and Kingsbury of Australia in that event.
Read more about the 2026 Winter Olympics
Horishima’s silver, however, marked the 17th medal for Japan, which is tied for third in the Games behind Norway and Italy. Norway leads the way with 27 medals, including 12 gold, while Italy has 22 medals.
The United States has 17 total medals so far, including five goals and eight silvers.
Ikuma Horishima of Team Japan crosses the finish line backwards after a fall while competing in the Men’s 1/8 Dual Moguls Finals against Nick Page of Team USA (not pictured) on the ninth day of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Air Park on February 15, 2026, in Livigno, Italy. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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Horishima made her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games, although she failed to medal in her events.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for News Digital.