'I have no regrets' | Lawrenceburg's Nick Goepper barely misses podium, has gnarly crash at Olympics

MILAN — Lawrenceburg native Nick Goepper just barely missed the podium in the men's halfpipe at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

The 31-year-old already had three medals going into Friday night's freeski halfpipe finals, but all were in a completely different discipline. Goepper previously nabbed a bronze and two silvers during the men's slopestyle at the Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing Games.

This year, though, Goepper attempted the halfpipe — an event he began competing in after a short retirement following the Beijing Olympics.

After falling on the last hit of his first run, he posted an 89 on his second run of the night, putting him in third place. On his third and final run of the night, Goepper was perfect until attempting a move that had never been done in a competition.

Goepper crashed into the halfpipe, with the medical team attempting to pull him away on a stretcher. However, Goepper refused and was able to get up to await the final competitor of the night.

Canada's Brendan Mackay wrapped things up with a performance scoring just higher than Goepper, pushing him off the podium. American Alex Ferreira got the gold after getting the bronze and silver in the last two Games.

For his part, Goepper said he has "no regrets" about attempting the trick, with the broadcasters clear he only had an interest in trying to attain that coveted gold.

Goepper isn't the only Tri-State native to compete in these Olympics. Cincinnati native Connor Curran finished 12th in the men's aerial finals.

Quinn Dehlinger, who also competes in men's aerials and got a silver in the 2025 World Championships, wasn't able to make his Olympic debut due to a knee injury he sustained during training in Livigno.