CORTINA, Italy — Soft snow once again played a central role at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre as the men’s giant slalom unfolded Friday across the standing, sitting and vision impaired classifications.

Warm temperatures broke down the snow surface during the morning run, creating ruts and uneven sections and forcing race crews to agressively salt parts of the racing line ahead of the afternoon run.

MEN’S STANDING

Jesse Keefe posted the top American result in the standing classification, finishing 13th on the Olympia delle Tofane course, which drops 390 meters and features 43 turning gates in each run.

Keefe started shortly after three skiers crashed in the same section of the course, prompting workers to salt the area before his run. He attacked the opening gates and cleared the section.

“The first run’s conditions were a little rough. It was a little bumpy,” Keefe said. “I felt like I could have given it a little bit more charge, but given the conditions, it just felt good to get a consistent run.”

“The course workers did a really good job for the second run,” Keefe said. “They salted it [before the second run] and it’s holding up really well, way better than the first run.”

Tyler McKenzie placed 19th after waiting through a course delay before becoming the first skier to restart the race.

Despite tearing his ACL five weeks ago, Mikey O’Hearn finished 28th. During his opening run, O’Hearn drifted wide and nearly missed a gate before recovering.

“My first run, you know, it was my Paralympic debut. I really just wanted to get through,” O’Hearn said. “My second run, I felt on top of the world. I felt like I really proved why I’m here.”

Patrick Halgren entered the race after winning silver in the Super-G standing event earlier in the Games but did not finish his run after skidding out on a turn that had troubled several previous skiers.

Spencer Wood’s race ended early when he lost a ski and slid into a gate. Wood was able to ski away from the crash.

Arthur Bauchet (France) won gold in 2:07.76, Robin Cuche (Switzerland) took silver in 2:09.72, and Aleksei Bugaev (RPC) captured the bronze in 2:11.14.

MEN’S SITTING

Matthew Brewer led the American finishers in the sitting classification, placing 12th. Brewer began with clean turns but got slightly late on a turn midway down the course and had to adjust his line to recover.

“I maintained my confidence in a really rutted and bumpy run,” Brewer said. “I had good body position through most of the course, and really kept my nose in it.”

Ravi Drugan finished 15th after recovering from an early mistake.

“I lost my edge pressure on the first gate and bucketed out and about came to a complete stop,” Drugan said. “But I tried to jump back in it and make up some time.”

Andrew Kurka, who won bronze in the downhill sitting race earlier in the Games, missed a gate during his run resulting in a DNF.

Robert Enigl also recorded a DNF after his outrigger caught a gate early in the course.

Gold went to Rene de Silvestro of Italy (2:10.44), silver to Niels de Langen of the Netherlands (2:11.01) and bronze to Jesper Pedersen of Norway (2:14.59).

MEN’S VISION IMPAIRED

No American athletes competed in the men’s vision impaired giant slalom.

Gold, silver and bronze went to Johannes Aigner of Austria (2:07.83), Giacomo Bertagnolli of Italy (2:08.17) and Michal Golas of Poland (2:09.91).