The U.S. started off their title defense strong, with Kuhn, Curran, and Lillis landing solid jumps to snag the lead in the first round of the final with a combined 351.23 points. Five of eight women competing in the final, including Kuhn and Xu, attempted triples, with three successfully landing them.
The U.S. may struggle with consistency in individual aerials events, but there is no doubt that they are one of the most dominant mixed teams in the world. Lillis followed up his 2022 Olympic success at worlds with Caldwell and Quinn Dehlinger one year later before going on to claim his second consecutive world title with Dehlinger and Kuhn in Engadin, Switzerland.
Curran replaced Dehlinger in this lineup after Dehlinger withdrew from the Games following a knee injury in training. Curran wasn’t one to fall to pressure, however, as he nailed both of his jumps in convincing fashion. The 21-year-old made his Olympic debut on Friday in men’s aerials, where he finished in 12th. Lillis placed 8th while Kuhn finished 5th in women’s aerials.
“It’s a bummer with Quinn,” Curran said. “He’s my teammate, and him and Chris have always been like older brothers to me, and I know he really wanted to jump. I’m very glad I could step up and take his place but, either way, it doesn’t matter who you put on Team USA. We will walk away with a gold medal.”
Mixed Team Aerialists Medalists
🥇Kaila Kuhn, Connor Curran, and Chris Lillis (USA)
🥈Lina Kozomara, Pirmin Werner, and Noe Roth (SUI)
🥉Xu Mengtao, Wang Xindi, Li Tianma (CHN)