Hirano wins Olympic gold, and saves snowboarding from a mess

By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer

ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Japanese rider Ayumu Hirano linked his trendsetting, once-thought-impossible triple-cork trick to four more rock-solid jumps on the Olympic halfpipe. That gave him a score of 96 and vaulted him in front of Australian Scotty James to take the title that has eluded him at the last two Winter Games. With that run, Hirano may have saved snowboarding from a good old-fashioned judging mess. Social media and analysts were all crying foul after Hirano’s second score failed to top James despite a run that included the ground-breaking triple cork.