Ireland’s Seamus O’Connor secured a spot in the semi-finals of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics men’s snowboard halfpipe competition today.

O’Connor was awarded a score of 66.25 for his first run of the heat, placing him eighth in the rankings when the rest of the field had completed theirs.

And with his next effort, the 16-year-old did even better, earning a mark of 71.50 that was the fourth best-scoring second run of any rider.

He came eighth overall, with fourth to ninth qualifying for the semis which take place at 3pm Irish time.