PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Winter X Games champion Henrik Harlaut failed to qualify for the men's slopestyle final at the Pyeongchang Olympics on Sunday in a major shock at the Phoenix Snow Park.
The 26-year-old Swede, one of the favourites for gold in the freestyle skiing event, had been in red-hot form in the lead-up but finished 17th in qualifying, missing out on the top 12 that will contest the final later on Sunday.
Wearing bib number 13, the dreadlocked Harlaut wiped out in his first run and a score of 75.80 after a scratchy second routine was 10 points short of a spot in the final.
Distraught, he left the venue quickly without completing media duties.
His team mate Oscar Wester enjoyed a better morning, topping qualifying with a score of 95.40, and both American contenders Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper advanced to the final.
There was, however, disappointment spiked with pain for American FIS world champion McRae Williams, who finished 15th and dislocated his shoulder in the process.
"It has been a rough couple of weeks for me, just dealing with injuries and stuff. I am just happy to be skiing," he told reporters.
"I unfortunately dislocated my shoulder on that second run, on the first jump. That threw things off a bit but it is what it is."
(Additional reporting by Jack Tarrant; Editing by John O'Brien)
