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Young Olympic star Nico Porteous to leave top level competition

Nico Porteous 2022 Winter Olympic champion Photo: PHOTOSPORT Winter Olympic Games gold medallist Nico Porteous is bowing out of top flight international competition. The 23-year-old is New Zealand's most successful male snow sports athlete and while stepping away from half-pipe competition, he doesn't want to use the word retirement as he still intends competing in limited events. "I still love skiing and I want to keep skiing to the best of my abilities and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the sport," he said. "Ultimately, I'm ready for something new. What that looks like I'm not exactly sure but over the past few seasons I've enjoyed filming and producing videos, as well as working on gear and product design. "I've loved representing New Zealand... This wasn't an easy decision to make but I'm excited to do something new and I feel like the time is right for me to look for a new challenge and new opportunities." Porteous made history for New Zealand in 2022, landing a right and left double corked 1620 combination to win Olympic gold in the halfpipe at the Beijing Winter Games. Four years earlier, he won bronze as a 16-year-old at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. Nico Porteous on his way to Olympic bronze in 2018. Photo: AFP He also won two X-Games gold medals, a World Championship title, and five World Cup medals. Porteous has also played a leading in hand in bringing a new generation of New Zealand athletes into snow sports. "First of all, I'd like to thank my family for all their support. Mum and Dad have made this dream come true, and getting to ski alongside my brother Miguel has been such a cool experience," he said. "It's super inspiring to see this new batch of athletes coming through. The future of the sport is looking really bright in New Zealand and I can't wait to see them in action in Milano Cortina." Snow Sports New Zealand CEO Nic Cavanagh labelled Porteous' legacy on the sport as "monumental" "Not just the countless titles, podiums and medals, but also for his creativity, his passion and his unwavering commitment," said Cavanagh. -RNZ Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.