Kevin Rolland Skis Out of Olympic Halfpipe After Nasty Crash

The massive amplitude and hang time are part of what makes halfpipe skiing so impressive, but it can turn dangerous when the athletes don't complete a jump.

That is exactly what happened to France's Kevin Rolland during the competition at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Rolland landed directly on the edge of the halfpipe and slammed the surface when attempting a trick in the event that aired live in the United States on Wednesday.

NBC Olympics shared the video, and he stayed down for some time in apparent pain before skiing off under his own power.

According to Olympic.org, Rolland finished in 11th place with a score of 6.40.

David Wise of the United States defended his gold with a score of 97.20, while Alex Ferreira of the United States captured silver (96.40) and Nico Porteous of New Zealand took home bronze (94.80).

Christopher Clarey of the New York Times suggested Rolland, who finished far behind the three on the podium, should take home a medal for his ability to battle through the aftermath of the nasty fall:

Each skier had three runs in the final, and the best individual score of the three stood as the competitor's mark. Wise was unable to complete a clean run in either of his first two attempts, but he came through in the clutch with the medals hanging in the balance and unleashed the gold-medal-winning effort in his final chance.