The Shougang Group steel mill that once billowed smoke into smoggy Beijing is sending something else skyward this week — Olympic skiers.

He won 2018 Olympic slopestyle gold at age 17. Now Red Gerard's back to defend his title, and could be challenged by his own teammate Sean FitzSimons.

American snowboarders Sean FitzSimons, Red Gerard and Chris Corning placed a respective third, fifth and 11th in qualifying to advance to the final in slopestyle, an event in which Gerard is the defending gold medalist.

Su Yiming of China posted the best score with an 86.80, while Americans Sean Fitzsimons and Red Gerard placed third and fifth, all securing top-12 spots.

Snowboarding superstar Shaun White's attempt to lock up a spot on a fifth Olympic team remains a work in progress.