Thénault and Li triumph as Freestyle Masters celebrates 30 years

The FIS Freestyle Aerials Grand Prix got underway in style on Sunday in Mettmenstetten (SUI), with a high-level field coming together for a special edition of the traditional Freestyle Masters event.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, the Freestyle Masters welcomed 50 athletes from seven nations, with some of the biggest names in aerials in action for the opening Grand Prix competition of the summer.

On the women’s side, it was Marion Thénault (CAN) who saved her best for last, stepping things up in the super final to claim victory with 120.80 points.

The Canadian pulled out a trick we had not seen from her before in competition, going for a Lay-double Full-Full and maxing out the degree of difficulty on the women’s side. She delivered when it mattered to secure the top spot in impressive fashion.

Second place went to 19-year-old Yang Xinyi (CHN), who scored 112.78 points with her Lay-Full-Full. The result marked just her second top-three finish at a FIS event, following her silver medal at the 2024 FIS Junior World Championships.

Anhelina Brykina rounded out the women’s podium, earning 110.75 points for her Full-Full-Full.

On the men’s side, the super final turned into a showcase of some of the biggest tricks in aerials, with the Hurricane taking centre stage.

Li Xinpeng (CHN) earned his place in the Hurricane Club in style, putting down a Full-triple Full-Full perfectly in the super final to take the victory with 134.16 points.

Defending Mettmenstetten champion Noé Roth (SUI) had to settle for second place this time around. Roth also went for a Full-triple Full-Full in the super final, scoring 123.24 points to secure the runner-up spot.

Stsiapan Zelianko (AIN) completed the podium with 109.20 points, also throwing a Hurricane in the super final to make it a clean sweep of Full-triple Full-Fulls across the men’s top three. The third-place finish also marked Zelianko’s first-ever podium at a FIS event.

With the opening competition and the 30th anniversary celebrations in Mettmenstetten wrapped up, the Grand Prix will next head to Qinhuangdao (CHN) for the second and final stop of the summer. A double competition on 19-20 September will bring the 2026 FIS Freestyle Aerials Grand Prix season to a close.

Full results: WOMEN / MEN

Grand Prix standings: WOMEN / MEN