Liam Gill’s Olympic dream came at the expense of one of his teammates but he was happy to just be there.
The competitor from Liidlii Kue First Naiton was originally an alternate but was bumped up to the main squad after teammate Derek Livingstone was injured during a training run mere days prior to the start of the main event in Beijing.
The 18-year-old from Calgary, who’s a member of the Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN), was at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China competing in the men’s snowboard halfpipe competition on Feb. 9.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Gill following his runs. “I fell on both runs, but I’m so happy to be here in the first place, and to take this all in and let it sink in.”
His first run netted him 16.75 while his second run was a bit worse, scoring 15.50. The best of the two scores counts as the final score for each competitor.
Gill ended up finishing 23rd overall, which wasn’t enough to move on to the final; Only the top 12 following two qualifying runs got the chance to compete for the medals.
He said his goal now is to get back to the 2026 edition of the Winter Olympics.
“Hopefully in four years in Italy, I can come back stronger,” he said.
The 2026 Winter Games are slated to be hosted in Italy.