Snowboard cross racer Jarryd Hughes has taken Winter Olympic silver, Australia’s third medal in PyeongChang.
French world No.1 Pierre Vaultier claimed gold and Spaniard Regino Hernandez bronze, with Australian Alex Pullin crashing out in Thursday’s final to place sixth.
Hughes, the world No.9 who was out in the quarter-finals at Sochi in 2014, follows moguls skier Matt Graham (silver) and halfpipe snowboarder Scotty James (bronze) as Australian medallists at the Games.
The 22-year-old was the less-fancied of the two Australian finalists with Pullin ranked second in the world.
But he negotiated the course to be in a late three-way race for gold as other competitors crashed, making up ground on a runaway Vaultier in the dying stages as he narrowly held off Hernandez.
His form leading into the Games was inconsistent, with a World Cup gold medal in December followed by three results outside the top-20.
Two-time world champion Pullin improves on his quarter-final exit four years ago but failed to finish as he took a fall while getting air.
He and Hughes were one-two in the first semi-final.
Australian Cameron Bolton was last in the four-man small final to finish 10th overall.
He received heavy strapping tape to his arm before his final race after falling in the semis and was only able to push off with one hand.
Countryman Adam Lambert was out in the first round of finals after being clipped from behind by falling Andorran Lluis Marin Tarroch.
Michaelj
Guest
I don't know how we even have a Winter Olympics team. It never snows here except on the highest peaks, so we don't really have a winter sport season to speak of.
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
What a sport that is. That was an action packed couple of hours. I felt like I had just watched an Origin game at the end of that. They need to work out how to get that on TV every Friday night.