Valentino Guseli pulled off something wild at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. He grabbed a last-second chance and somehow turned it into a spot in the men’s snowboard big air final—when, honestly, he wasn’t even supposed to be there.

This 20-year-old Aussie only qualified for the halfpipe. Big air? He figured he’d just be watching. Then, out of nowhere, Canada’s Mark McMorris crashed in training, and suddenly the door swung open. Guseli found out the night before that he might get the call-up. By Thursday evening, he stood at the top of the ramp, everything on the line.

“I was hoping I’d be riding tonight,” Guseli said. “I found out last night there was a chance, and unfortunately, Mark had a bit of a spill and couldn’t compete.”

So there he was. Two qualification runs—73.25 and 71.50. Not bad, but not enough. He needed to break into the top 12, and time was running out. Everything rested on one last shot.

What happened next? It’s the kind of thing you replay in your head for years. Guseli launched himself off the jump, spun a switch backside 1980 with a tailgrab—five and a half dizzying rotations, locked in and soaring. He stomped the landing. The scoreboard flashed 91.50, tying the second-best score of the night.

He couldn’t quite believe it. Arms in the air, snowboard tossed sky-high, teammates lifting him as the news came through: 12th place, the last ticket to the finals. A commentator called it a “miracle in Milano”, and honestly, that pretty much nailed it.

Afterwards, Guseli tried to describe what went through his mind in midair. “I reached a state I haven’t been in for a while—flow state. It all just happened for me,” he said. “Sometimes you drop in, and it’s like you don’t even have to try. The trick just works. I got to the bottom and, like, snapped back into reality. It was pretty crazy.”

His journey hasn’t been easy. Back in Beijing in 2022, he finished sixth in the halfpipe at just 16. He won the FIS Park and Pipe Crystal Globe in both 2023 and 202,4 but then tore his ACL late in 2024. That injury knocked him out of action for almost a year, costing him early qualification chances in big air and slopestyle.

He barely had time to practise this Olympic jump. “By the time I did my last jump, I’d only hit this jump 10 times,” he said. “Usually, you’ve hit it 50 or 60 times before you compete. So to make finals now—I’m just so stoked. Definitely one of the top moments of my life.”

Right before that final run, there was a moment of doubt. His dad—who’s also his coach—suggested he might need to go even bigger to get the score. For a second, Guseli hesitated. “I thought, ‘I’m not going to try a Hail Mary and get destroyed,’” he admitted. “Then I thought, ‘It’s the Olympics, man.’”

Now he’s into Saturday’s big air final, rewriting his own Olympic story. He’ll also compete in the halfpipe, where he’s a real medal threat alongside Scotty James.

And there’s something special about doing all this in Italy—his father’s homeland. “Out of all the Olympics I’ll do, this is the one I want to do best in,” Guseli said earlier. “It’s the closest thing to a home Olympics I’ll ever have.”

Get ready, Australia—NFL football is finally coming your way. For the first time, the regular season heads Down Under, landing at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams will square off in what’s shaping up to be a truly historic showdown.

The NFL dropped the news on Thursday: Melbourne will host one of nine international games in 2026, joining cities like London, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Munich, Madrid, and Paris. In total, these games will play out across four continents, seven countries, and eight stadiums.

The exact date and kickoff time for the Melbourne game haven’t been set yet, but the league is teaming up with the Victorian State Government and Visit Victoria to pull off this big event.

“We’re thrilled to bring the 49ers and Rams to the MCG for our first-ever regular season game in Melbourne,” said Charlotte Offord, who heads up NFL Australia & New Zealand. “The 49ers have a huge following here, and this rivalry guarantees Aussie fans are in for an incredible NFL experience.”

Everyone knew the Rams—two-time Super Bowl champs—would be the “home” team in Melbourne, but having the legendary 49ers in the mix, with their five world titles, just ups the stakes.

Expect to see big names. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Rams safety Julian Love are both set to hit the field in this overseas clash.

“This is a terrific chance to help the league grow the game of football,” said 49ers CEO Al Guido. “We can’t wait to work with the NFL and give back to local Aussie communities through sport.”

News of the Melbourne game drops right as Sydney-born punter Michael Dickson is getting ready to play in the Super Bowl for the Seahawks against the Patriots—a big week for Aussie NFL fans.

“As we make history with the NFL’s first regular season game in Australia, we’re excited to bring our annual NFC West match-up against the 49ers to the MCG,” said Rams president Kevin Demoff. “Since we first got marketing rights here in 2021, and especially after announcing this game last year, we’ve seen a huge wave of excitement from fans in Australia and all over the world. We’re looking forward to spending the off-season getting even closer to the Melbourne community before the game this fall.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan didn’t hide her excitement, either: “Bringing the NFL to the MCG is a massive win both on and off the field, and hosting a team like the 49ers just makes it even better. We can’t wait to welcome these two great teams and show off the best of Melbourne and Victoria.”