Jia Zongyang wants 2022 gold after aerials near miss

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Jia Zongyang came agonizingly close to taking gold in the men’s freestyle skiing aerials in PyeongChang on Sunday.

Jia was the last taking to the hill in the final round. He had a solid routine, but a slight flaw in his landing. He anxiously awaited his score and it was 128.05, just short of the 128.51 points target set by Oleksander Abramenko of Ukraine.

“To me, it was a perfect jump, really good. After watching a replay of the final run, I saw that I still had some shortcomings. If I could have put together an even better effort, I might have gotten a higher score,” Jia said.

World No. 2 Jia went with a difficult triple jump in his first attempt. He did well, completing his spins, and landing, but fell after finishing his routine. He scored enough points to move into the second round.

“In terms of skills, and speed, both the coach and me are very confident. But maybe positioning problems led to a few slight mistakes,” Jia said after that jump.

China's Jia Zongyang grabs silver in the men's freestyle skiing aerials in PyeongChang. /VCG Photo

In the second round, Jia was not affected by his first round mishap, and completed a full-double full-full, scoring top marks. His compatriots Qi Guangpu and Liu Zhongqing did not advance.

“To participate in the Olympics, and to represent China, I definitely went out with the best possible competitive edge. Our team has made huge efforts in preparation and training. So for my teammates, it was a pity, but for me, this is recognition of my efforts over the past four years,” Jia said.

After winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, he wants gold when Beijing hosts the next edition in four years.

“For the 2022 Olympics, I desperately hope to participate. But first, I will make some changes and talk with my coach about my form after these Games. I hope that in 2022, I can again stand on the Olympic stage,” Jia said.