Atkin wins women’s halfpipe World Championships gold as Melville Ives notches another title for New Zealand

New Zealand teenager Finley Melville Ives outclassed his idols to win World Championships gold in men’s freeski halfpipe in Engadin on Sunday as Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin triumphed in the women’s field.

Eighteen-year-old Melville Ives wrapped up the final day of the freeski program at the Engadin 2025 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships on Sunday with a third World title for New Zealand.

Fellow skier Luca Harrington won big air gold on Saturday night, while compatriot Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won the women’s snowboard slopestyle title a week earlier.

Atkin was the first to win gold in the Corvatsch halfpipe on Sunday amid perfect weather conditions after scoring 93.50 in her second run.

China’s Li Fanghui claimed silver after trailing Atkin by just 0.50 points on 93.00 in her second run. Canada’s Cassie Sharpe secured bronze on 88.00.

Atkin’s gold medal campaign did not start well after she fell in her first run and posted a score of just 18.75.

But the 22-year-old did not disappoint when she dropped into the pipe for her last attempt at gold. Atkin began her second run with a left 540 mute, then a right 720 leading tailgrab, a switch left 720 Japan, a left alley-oop flatspin 540 mute, then a right alley-oop 360 leading Japan, and finished with a switch right 720 leading tailgrab.

Li was the last skier behind Atkin and managed to improve on her first run score of 90.25, but it was not enough to take the lead.

Atkin’s victory on Sunday follows her second place finish at the 2023 World Championships and her bronze medal at the 2021 edition.

“This season I was like, ‘you know, I’m tired of this, I want to go for the gold’. So I put a lot of work in this season, tried to put my new trick in there,” Atkin said.

“I had a lot of mental blocks so I’m really proud of myself for working through that.

“Then to be able to land it in my second run, with all the pressure on – oh my God – and to become World Champion, it means so much to me.”

Sunday’s battle between Atkin and Li was a fitting end to a season in which the pair shared the women’s halfpipe Crystal Globe in Calgary (CAN) in February in a World Cup first.

Atkin and Li tied for the season trophy for the first time in FIS Freeski World Cup history after both skiers finished with an identical World Cup results list of one victory, two second place finishes, and a fifth place finish.

Li was also the 2025 X Games superpipe silver medallist in January, while Atkin missed out on the podium with fourth place. A year earlier, Atkin was the X Games superpipe silver medallist.

In the men’s final, Melville Ives reminded everyone why he was the top qualifier with a technically impressive first run score of 96.00 that no other skier was able to match.

U.S. skier and three-time Olympic medallist Nick Goepper claimed silver behind Melville Ives with a 94.00 performance in his second run after falling in his first attempt.

Fellow American and the 2024/25 halfpipe Crystal Globe winner Alex Ferreira took bronze with 92.50.

Melville Ives’ winning run began with a switch right double cork 1080 Japan, then a left  double cork 1620 mute, a left alley-oop double flatspin 1080 mute, a switch left double cork 1080 Japan, before ending with an impressive right double cork 1620 safety.

“I honestly am in shock, I can’t believe that I landed my run,” said the teenager.

“I’m so hyped, the pipe is so good. I’m so thankful the weather is good.”

Sunday’s conditions were in stark contrast to the snowfall and wind on Saturday which delayed the snowboard halfpipe finals.

Melville Ives was in disbelief that he claimed gold ahead of his idols Goepper and Ferreira.

Fellow New Zealander Luke Harrold (NZL) missed out on the podium on Sunday with a fourth place score of 90.75, but the 16-year-old made history by putting down the first switch left triple cork 1260 mute in competition during his second run.

Melville Ives’ gold medal on Sunday wraps up an upward trajectory for the 18-year-old after he claimed his maiden World Cup win at the halfpipe season finale in Calgary.

In January he finished fourth at the 2025 X Games in Aspen while Goepper led a U.S. podium sweep with Ferreira in second place and Hunter Hess with bronze.

Hess finished fifth on Sunday, with the high-scoring men’s final also pushing many experienced skiers to the bottom half of the 12-man final. Canadian and 2023 World Champion Brendan Mackay finished in seventh place, while two-time Olympic halfpipe champion David Wise (USA) finished 11th.