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Apparently skiing backwards is becoming a new fad these days.
The 2026 Olympics have been wild so far, and Japan’s Ikuma Horishima’s insane finish to the downhill dual moguls event was just the next on the list.
In the second half of Horishima’s race Sunday, he lost his balance after flipping over the final hill. Horishima fell down but got right back up — only he was facing the wrong way.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES." 😳
Dual moguls madness as Nick Page skis out of the course for a DNF while his opponent, Ikuma Horishima, barely stays in control and skis over the line BACKWARDS for the win. pic.twitter.com/hFqqi5gnQE
Miraculously, though, he managed to stay upright for the rest of the race, finishing just in front of the United States’ Nick Page, who was ruled out of bounds anyway.
Even NBC’s announcers were in shock.
“Oh my goodness, what is going on? I can’t believe my eyes. Ikuma Horishima coming across the line backwards,” commentator Trace Worthington exclaimed.
Horisihima was rewarded with a silver medal for his efforts, finishing behind Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury and ahead of Australia’s Matt Graham.
It also marked his second podium finish after claiming bronze in the men’s moguls, where he placed behind Australia’s Cooper Woods and Kingsbury again.
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Horishima, 28, made his Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022 but failed to collect a medal in China.
Japan has been relatively successful at the 2026 Games, accruing 17 medals thus far, tied for the third-most behind Norway and Italy. However, it ranks 10th in golds with just three, a category the Norwegians also lead with 12.
Another story of these Olympics has been the Americans’ failure to come out on top.
AFP via Getty Images
The likes of figure skater Ilia Malinin, snowboarder Chloe Kim and downhill skier Mikaela Shiffrin have all been left without the taste of gold, despite entering as favorites. Kim snagged silver but neither Shiffrin nor Malinin even earned a medal. Speed skater Jordan Stolz and skier Breezy Johnson have instead been the Americans’ standouts with a combined three golds.
Maybe Horishima’s acrobatics can give the U.S. some inspiration on how to win a race.
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