© Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn
Japan’s Kira Kimura put down a massive switch backside 1980 spin on his final run to claim gold in the finals of Snowboarding Big Air on Saturday at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina.
But apparently, the remarkable trick wasn’t enough to impress NBC announcer Todd Richards.
Kimura narrowly overcame countryman and reigning world champion Kimata Ryoma as well as defending Olympic champion Su Yiming, who joined him on the podium.
While 17-year-old American Oliver Martin just missed out on the podium in fourth place. But after the event, Richards went rival for all the wrong reasons.
Hot Mic Catches NBC Announcer Slams ‘Boring’ Finals Of Winter Olympics Event
The event was streamed live on NBC’s Peacock app, and appeared to resume when the screen went black after showing the final standings.
However, whoever was in charge of handling the audio for the event kept Richards’ microphone on, and he didn’t shy away from what he thought about the finals.
“That was boring,” he was caught saying. “That was so boring. The qualifier was way more exciting.”
As someone who is vaguely, yet not intricately, aware of the snowboarding world, Richards does have a point. Many of the contestants in the finals threw down only slightly differing variants of the same moves. So it makes it really difficult for television viewers to distinguish what is considered a good trick and what isn’t.
However, Richards quickly took to Instagram to address the amusing gaffe.
“Figured I should address the ‘hot mic’ moment after the event,” he wrote. “This is nothing I wouldn’t say to a reporter or in public. It was my opinion based on what I saw in the qualifier vs the final medal round. Not one word I said had anything to do with a rider in this event. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say that, but I am. They all rule.”
Richards is commentating on his sixth Winter Olympics, and is a former professional snowboarder in his own right with four X Games medals, including a halfpipe gold to his name. So he clearly knows what he’s talking about here. But it was an awkward moment nonetheless.