When NBC’s, in-studio host Rebecca Lowe teased a transition to the men’s halfpipe qualification coverage, she mispronounced Alessandro Barbieri’s last name as Bar-Bee-er-oh. After his performance today, that will probably be the last time that happens.
The 17-year-old son of Italian immigrants put down a run that consisted of a backside double cork 1280, a frontside 1280, and a Cab double cork 1440 in his first Olympic run ever. It got him a score of 88.50, and he’d finish the first round in third place. Barbieri will head into finals day in fourth place, ahead of some of the most renown names in snowboarding, like Ayumu Hirano and Valentino Guseli.
