Team USA has four members going for gold in this event later this week, so let’s have a look at their chances in our Men’s Freeski Halfpipe Betting Picks.
David Wise is the defending champion in the Freeski Halfpipe. 31-year-old Wise will be joined at this year’s Olympics by USA teammates Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, and Birk Irving.
The two qualifying rounds are tonight.
All four American’s are amongst the betting favorites with the top Las Vegas online betting sites, and all should have little problem qualifying for Friday’s final.
The main markets in this event are the outright winner betting
market and the to win a medal market.
The below odds are the outright winner market, which may also be known as gold medal winner betting.
The other popular betting market is to finish in the top 3. This may also be known as betting to win any medal.
As we’ve already alluded to, David Wise is the defending champion. He is not the betting favorite. That accolade goes to New Zealand’s Nico Porteous, who is just +160 to take gold with BetUS.
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| Men's Freeski Halfpipe Gold Medal Betting |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Nico Porteous | +160 | +150 |
| Aaron Blunck | +350 | +300 |
| Alex Ferreira | +450 | +475 |
| Brendan Mackay | +500 | +475 |
| David Wise | +700 | +650 |
| Birk Irving | +1100 | +1000 |
| Noah Bowman | +1600 | +1800 |
| Simon D'Artois | +1800 | +1700 |
| Gus Kenworthy | +4500 | +5000 |
| Miguel Porteous | +5000 | +5500 |
After Porteous comes two of the American quartet. First up is Aaron Blunck, who is the +350 second-favorite. He’s followed by Alex Ferreira, who is third in the betting at +450.
Canada’s Brendan Mackay is also regarded as one of the front runners. The 24-year-old is +500 with the sportsbooks.
Right behind Mackay comes the remainder of the American quartet. David Wise is next at +700, with Birk Irving the outsider at +1100.
Should the quartet make it through to the final (as we expect them to), it takes place on Friday night, Eastern Time.
In total, there are three runs in the final. The first of which gets underway at 8.30 pm ET.
The second runs are scheduled to start at 8.58 pm ET, with the final runs taking place from 9.25 pm ET.
So what chances have the American men really got? Lets’ take a look at the main contenders.
Twelve months ago, Porteous picked up gold in the Halfpipe at the World Championships in Aspen. He also has won Winter X golds at the same venue in the Superpipe, in 2021 and 2022.
Crucially for Porteous, he won Olympic bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics at just 16 years of age. This made him the youngest New Zealander to ever win an Olympic medal.
Porteous is an extreme talent, and it would be no surprise to see him gold win here.
The 25-year-old from Colorado finished a disappointing 7th at the 2018 Pyeongchang games. Remarkably, he finished in the exact same position four years earlier as a 17-year-old at the Sochi games.
Blunck is an undoubted talent. He has won the World Championships at Utah in 2019 at this event, and he also has a gold from the 2017 Winter X Games in the Superpipe.
He is widely regarded as America’s best chance to win gold, and at the very least I expect him to make the podium this year.
At 31 years old, Wise is entering the twilight of his career. But what a career he has had.
He is a double Olympic champion at this level, having won Halfpipe gold at both Sochi in 2014, and Pyeongchang in 2018.
With all the emerging young talent around, it will be difficult for him. But he does have Olympic pedigree and experience.
With two golds to his name, anything else is a bonus. That releases the pressure from Wise, and makes him a dangerous opponent.
I don’t see him winning gold, but at the same time, nothing would surprise me.
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Ferreira won the silver in Pyeongchang four years ago, and at third favourite in the betting, will be expecting to win a medal here.
Can he go one better this time around? He certainly has the ability that’s for sure.
A quick look at his record shows a stack of medals won at a combination of the Winter X Games, Dew Tour, and the FIS Freestyle World Cup events.
I wouldn’t rule Ferreira out, but with the competition he is up against, it will sure be difficult.
The Canadian is fourth in the betting, and I feel he is going slightly under the radar with all the attention the Americans and Porteous are getting.
I think he might shock a few people here and at +500, I feel he has a great chance of winning gold.
I also have him down as a gold medal prospect to finish in the top 3.
