China’s Wang Xindi wins Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics gold in men’s aerials final, Switzerland’s Noe Roth takes home silver

China’s Wang Xindi won the gold medal in the men’s aerials final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, 20 February. The 30-year-old skier delivered a stunning final jump to score 132. 60 points. He edged out Switzerland’s Noe Roth by just 1. 02 points in a thrilling super final. It was a dramatic contest between top athletes from China and Switzerland in front of an excited crowd.

Roth, the reigning world champion, secured the silver medal with 131.58 points after a near-perfect jump. China’s Li Tianma claimed bronze with 123.93 points. The final featured four Chinese and two Swiss athletes. Defending Olympic champion Qi Guangpu failed to reach the podium.

The competition marked a major moment for China in freestyle skiing, as Wang became an Olympic champion after years of strong international performances.

The men’s aerials final was decided in the super final, where six athletes had just one jump to fight for gold. Wang Xindi stayed calm under pressure. His jump was clean, powerful, and well controlled in the air. Judges rewarded him with 132.60 points. It was enough to beat Noe Roth by the narrowest of margins.

Noe Roth scored 131.58 points for his high-difficulty back double full-double-full-full jump. He finished only 1.02 points behind Xindi. Despite missing gold, Roth made history for Switzerland. He became the first Swiss man in 20 years to win an Olympic medal in aerials. The last Swiss Olympic aerials champion was Evelyne Leu in 2006, while Colette Brand, Roth’s mother, had won bronze in 1998.

Meanwhile, Li Tianma secured bronze with 123.93 points. His teammate Sun Jiaxu finished fourth with 123.42.

Defending champion Qi Guangpu placed sixth after scoring 81. 00 in the super final. Switzerland’s Pirmin Werner finished fifth with 99. 32 points.

Canada’s Lewis Irving and Emile Nadeau reached the final round but could not advance to the super final. Irving posted a best score of 111.00, finishing 6.26 points short of qualification. Nadeau scored 102.21 in his first jump and fell on his second attempt.

Born on 2 May 1995 in Qinhuangdao, Hebei, Wang competed in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics before finally winning gold in 2026. His victory marks the biggest achievement of his career and strengthens China’s dominance in freestyle aerial skiing.