New Zealand skier Nico Porteous says he is "still in shock" after winning gold in the halfpipe final at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 20-year-old was able to put down his unique run featuring back-to-back double cork 1620s in windy conditions, earning him what proved to be an unbeatable score of 93.00.
Speaking to 1News, Porteous said he couldn't believe it.
The freeskier said he had been stressed about the Olympics for months and was still in shock with the result. (Source: 1News)
"I'm still in shock...it's been three months of just pure stress about this exact moment and here I am and I can't believe it. I'm so so happy," Porteous said.
"We had really tough conditions today, really strong winds, really tough to stay warm and keep the muscles warm. But, had a gameplan and talked about it right before competition started with my coach and we stuck to it and it happened to work out first run."
Porteous said the key to his success was ignoring the cold and nerves and "just go".
"Today it worked out well and I'm so happy."
While the result ranked among his greatest achievements, Porteous said it was just as special to ski in an Olympic final alongside his brother Miguel.
"I think that's something me and him will cherish for the rest of our lives. Being able to come down and give him a hug at the bottom and have him there right by my side the whole time...isn't that anyone's dream to have your family right there next to you in one of your proudest moments?" he told Sky.
Miguel finished 11th after struggling with the wind after his opening run.
Back home in Wānaka, the Porteous parents Chris and Andrew said they were "super proud" of both their children.
"It’s four years of work, planning and to pull it off in 30 seconds it’s credit to him [Nico], [coach] Tommy [Pyatt] and Miguel," Chris said.
"[The result] doesn’t really matter. If he just goes out and skis his best it’s always up there for us. That’s all we ask of him is to just give it his best and he did."
Both parents were so pleased to see the brothers embrace in a hug at the end of Nico's third run.
"I think Miguel was as excited as anyone, it’s great for both of them," Andrew said.
The New Zealand Winter Olympic team also honoured Nico Porteous with a haka.
Members of the team watched the final from the bottom of the pipe and were ecstatic when Porteous claimed gold after a brilliant performance.
With temperatures pushing -25 degrees, the team broke out the haka on the snow as Porteous watched on. He was embraced in a hug afterwards.
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