FREESTYLE – SKI SLOPESTYLE: Australian “big air” skier Russ Henshaw will put any injuries concerns behind him when he takes to the Slopestyle starting gate at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park on Thursday.

The 23-year-old from Jindabyne will go into the event as one of the favourites, despite ongoing knee problems.

“I’ve just been dealing with a little bit of pain, but the last few days have been great, I’ve been pushing through that,” he said after training on Wednesday.

Henshaw crashed during training at the X Games in January then landed awkwardly on his knee in competition. Those latest mishaps come on top of previous injuries in which he twice tore the ACL in his right knee.

Despite all that, the 2011 World Championship Bronze medallist says his body’s feeling good and he’s inspired by teammate Anna Segal’s fourth place in the women’s Ski Slopestyle event on Tuesday.

“I was super-stoked for her. She skied amazingly and did the country proud, so I’m pumped.”

He says the course is in great condition and is looking forward to putting down his first full run.

“It’s definitely a lot bigger than what we usually have at competitions. On the first couple of days I didn’t really do any tricks, I just took it easy and felt the course out, felt the speed out. I’m just starting to get the hang of it now, which is good timing.”

Labelled a “trick-stomping maniac” by some in the Freestyle world, Henshaw has the ability to land massive tricks like triple cork 1440s and double cork 1620s.

He’ll need to bring his best if he’s to compete with 2014 X Games champion Nick Goepper (USA) and the rest of the USA team: Gus Kenworthy, Joss Christensen and Bobby Brown, who’ll be aiming for a clean sweep of the podium.

Goepper, 19, claimed X Games victory in January with a run that included a thrice inverted spin - a triple-corked 1440 (four full rotations). He was the second skier to land the trick in competition after Kenworthy became the first earlier the same day.

Other contenders include Andreas Haatveit (NOR), Henrik Harlaut (SWE) and James Woods (GBR) - who will compete despite injuring his hip during training on the Olympic course last Friday (7 February).

Ski Slopestyle is one of two Freestyle events making their Olympic debut at the Sochi Games. The other being Ski Halfpipe.

In Slopestyle, the best 12 skiers from the qualification round go through to the final.