Gero Breloer

It was a huge Thursday afternoon for the American men at the inaugural men's slopestyle event in freestyle skiing at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park in Sochi.

As most expected, the United States swept the podium, but the final results are sure to raise a few eyebrows, as Sochi continues to reward underdogs.

Joss Christensen, ranked No. 36 in the world in slopestyle entering the Winter Games, came right out of the gate with a brilliant run during qualifying, and he never looked back. He captured the first ever gold medal to be handed out in a men's slopestyle freestyle skiing event.

Gus Kenworthy, who fell on the final jump of his first run, used a tremendous effort during his all-or-nothing final run to secure silver for the American team.

Nicholas Goepper, the favorite coming into today's competition, had to settle for the bronze.