It was a whirlwind weekend for Marcus Kleveland at X Games Aspen 2023!
The 23-year-old Norwegian snowboarder — who was poised to sweep the podium in multiple disciplines — did just that at this year’s games in Aspen, Colorado, as he won gold in Men’s Snowboard Big Air and Snowboard Knuckle Huck; and silver in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle.
Earning his third consecutive gold medal in Big Air on Saturday (January 28), Kleveland was able to stop a run that made him a frontrunner from the beginning, earning a 49 out of 50 thanks to some big tricks and massive rotations.
“Going into the finals tonight, I was really nervous,” the 23-year-old told Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder at the base of Buttermilk Mountain after his big win. “The level of snowboarding right now is incredible. Tricks are really scary, so to put down a couple of runs today felt really good and I’m hyped to be on top today.”
Rounding out the podium for Big Air was Takeru Otsuka, earning a total of 90 to take silver. In his X Games debut, China’s Yiming Su earned a high score of 48 in his final run, ultimately sliding into the bronze medal position.
“Just coming back here to X Games every single year is incredible,” Marcus added. “The atmosphere is always nice. The [Slopestyle] and [Big Air] courses are always so fun to ride, so I’m super happy that my body is feeling healthy so I can be out here with all my friends having fun.”
X Games Aspen 2023 Day 2 Recap – January 28, 2023
Setting the bar high for the rest of the weekend, Kleveland went into Day 3 of competition ready to win even more medals.
Clearer conditions shining over Buttermilk Mountain meant the pressure was on for Kleveland and the rest of the talented riders to showcase their best tricks in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle. The ultra-technical course featuring two rail zones, two shark fins, and four jumps provided the perfect location for the ultimate Slopestyle showdown.
Attempting to become the first athlete since Travis Pastrana to win three gold during the same X Games, Kleveland stomped his fourth and final run to push Mark McMorris out of first place and into second. But his first-place reign lasted for mere moments…
As McMorris dropped in for his fourth and final run (also the last of the contest), he obliterated the course with back-to-back 1620s; first, a switch backside 1620 Weddle, then into a gigantic backside triple cork 1620 Indy. The technicality of these tricks edged Kleveland back into silver, solidifying McMorris into a golden first place.
X Games Aspen 2023 Day 3 Recap – January 29, 2023
But the dubs didn’t stop there. As the sun set over the Rocky Mountains, Kleveland made his way back to the Big Air course for Snowboard Knuckle Huck, where he felt the vibes from the massive crowd and unleashed ultra stylish tricks, which included a Nollie hand drag frontside 720 tuck-knee on his first run. For the rest of his runs, the 23-year-old did a Nosebutter 180 to Cab 720, a Nose butter Cab double cork 720 with his hands clasped behind his back, and closed it out with a butter backside 180 Cab double cork 1260.
Speaking about being at the forefront of the progression of snowboarding, Marcus tells Celeb Secrets that being “scared” of the big tricks gives him more confidence to push himself to be the best rider on the mountain.
“It’s just all about having fun and try to push yourself,” he said. “These tricks are scary, but I feel like that’s what we aim for. We’re feeding off things that are scary and if we can land the tricks that are scary, that’s what gives us more confidence.”
Knuckle Huck is scored by the overall performance, and Kleveland’s runs proved gold, tallying his medal count to thirteen, with eight of them being gold.
For more on Marcus’ big weekend, watch our full interview below — you can connect with the snowboarder by giving him a follow on Instagram at @marcuskleveland.
For more coverage from X Games Aspen 2023, click here.
