US Defends Title in Freestyle Skiing Mixed Team Aerials

USA wins gold in freestyle skiing mixed team aerials at olympics

USA wins gold in freestyle skiing mixed team aerials at Olympics, defending 2022 title. China's Wang and Li Tianma crash, spoiling medal bid in aerials event.

The United States team, consisting of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Christopher Lillis, ultimately took home the gold medal...

The United States took home the gold medal in the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials event at the Olympics, successfully defending their 2022 title. The American team, consisting of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Christopher Lillis, secured the top spot with a combined score of 325.35 points. Switzerland claimed the silver medal with 296.91 points, while China, despite being favorites, settled for bronze with 279.68 points.

The Americans' victory was notable given their disappointing performance in the individual women's and men's finals, where China dominated with gold medals won by husband-and-wife duo Wang Xindi and Xu Mengtao. 

The winning US team consisted of Kaila Kuhn, Christopher Lillis, and Connor Curran, who scored a total of 325.35 points out of 450. Kuhn, a gold medalist at the 2025 World Championships, finished fifth in the women's final, while Lillis and Curran finished eighth and 12th, respectively, in the men's final.

The Swiss team, featuring men's silver medalist Noe Roth, secured 296.91 points, followed by China with 279.68 points.

The freestyle skiing mixed team aerials event in Livigno was a thrilling contest, but the overcast and snowy conditions made it even more challenging for the athletes, affecting their visibility. The Chinese team's medal hopes were dashed when Wang and Li Tianma, the men's bronze medallist, made critical mistakes, crashing on landing after attempting high-difficulty jumps.

The United States team, consisting of Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Christopher Lillis, ultimately took home the gold medal, successfully defending their 2022 title. 

Aerials is a gravity-defying discipline that has been part of the Winter Games since 1994 for men's and women's events and from 2022 for mixed teams.

🥇 Victory with the very last jump 🔥

It’s back-to-back #Gold medals for @TeamUSA in the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials 👏

This marks a first medal for Kaila Kuhn and Connor Curran, and a second #Gold for Christopher Lillis 🤩 @FISFreestyle | #MedalAlert | #Samsung |… pic.twitter.com/NwhWWzOGLA

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 21, 2026

Athletes jump off a near-vertical ramp, launching themselves in the air and ‌performing complex aerobatics, reaching speeds of more than 65 km per hour.

Each jump is marked out of 150, with athletes judged on height, distance, style, difficulty, and landing. In the mixed team event, three athletes from each country - a mix of men and women - compete together, with their individual scores added up for the team total.