Winter Olympics halfpipe skier drops his PHONE mid-trick in weird second

Chinese skier Haipeng Sheng failed to qualify for the Winter Olympics freeski halfpipe final – but his phone did at least survive a big fall during Friday’s qualification round.

Sheng, 20, was spinning above the halfpipe in Livigno when his phone became dislodged from his pocket. Halfpipe skiers often carry their phones with them to listen to music to flow during their runs.

And while Sheng found his phone in working condition, he finished 20th and will not compete in the 12-man final.

It’s not the first time an athlete has been caught out by loose pockets at this Winter Olympics. 16-year-old Team USA snowboarder Jessica Perlmutter also saw her phone call out of her pocket in the slopestyle final.

Great Britain’s Gus Kenworthy had more success than Sheng. The 34-year-old sealed his spot in the final with a first-run score of 81.25, finishing ninth.

Haipeng Sheng saw his phone fly out of his pocket during the freeski halfpipe qualification

Sheng seemed more concerned about his phone than his score – but it escaped unscathed

Meanwhile, Norway broke the record for most gold medals won by a nation at a single Winter Olympics on Friday.

They had previously set the record at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with 16 gold medals. 

Johannes Dale-Skjevdal was the only biathlete to hit all 20 of his targets in the 15-kilometer mass start race – sealing Norway’s 17th triumph at the Games.