The success of the American men in the halfpipe was hardly unexpected, even if it did come with some tension. In qualifying on Thursday, all four American freeskiers qualified to the Beijing Olympics final, giving the country its greatest opportunity at a podium sweep. The senior team came into these Games with every skier in the top eight of the International Ski Federation’s points list, substantially unchanged from Pyeongchang four years ago. The Americans’ chances of making it through were hampered when Aaron Blunck, the world’s top-ranked skier this year, fell late in his first run. However, the three-time Olympian…