Mac Forehand Is 'Motivated' After Winning Silver Medal at the Winter Olympics: 'I Want to Upgrade'

Mac Forehand walked away a winner after taking home silver in men's big air at the Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, Italy, this past February — and now, he's focused on the future.

"If you had asked me that before these Games, I might have said I wasn’t sure, but now I’m really motivated. I’d love to go back and hopefully upgrade this medal. For now, we’re finishing out the World Cup season and trying to win the overall title," Forehand 24, exclusively tells OK! while talking about his partnership with Red Bull.

While standing on the podium, the athlete says the moment was "surreal."

"This was actually my third time watching a podium ceremony at the Olympics where I wasn’t on it. I went to Beijing and competed in two events but didn’t podium. I watched my teammates get medals and thought, 'Man, I want that to be me someday.' So, finally experiencing it was incredible. They play the Olympic music, everything is super official, and they bring the medals out in these boxes with people dressed in ceremonial outfits. When they call your name and you step up there — it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life," he gushes.

He adds, "I think I was more stressed about just making the team in the first place. So, when I got to the Olympics I was like, 'Alright, the hard part is over. Let’s have fun.' My goal was simply to walk away with a medal in either of my disciplines — and it worked out. Big Air was such a cool event and we were all out there pushing the sport that night."

After scoring the nice piece of medal, Forehand, who specializes in big air and slopestyle, had a "huge night" celebrating.

"Our event ended around 10:30 p.m., then we had media, the podium ceremony, drug testing — you name it. By the time we finished it was like 11:30 and everyone was already out celebrating. So, I met my family and friends at a bar in town and basically everyone in our sport was there. It was packed and super fun. Then we went to a club afterward. I even saw my parents in the club for the first time ever — which was definitely a unique experience," he quips.

Forehand is also "incredibly grateful" to have the support of Red Bull, which was his "dream sponsor as a kid."

"When you grow up watching X Games and the Olympics, you see that Red Bull helmet everywhere. It’s iconic. I signed with them when I was 17. Our friend Zeb Powell actually gave me my first Red Bull helmet, which was really special. They support athletes so much — from training camps to private park sessions where we can push our progression and learn new tricks," he shares. "The facilities, training camps, and travel support make everything we do possible. If 14-year-old me could see where I am now, wearing a Red Bull helmet at the Olympics, he’d be pretty blown away."

Since a lot of Forehand's competitions are at night, a little boost from Red Bull helps him out.

"Coffee can make you too wired sometimes, but Red Bull gives you energy before the event," he says.

For now, Forehand — who currently holds six medals from the Winter X Games and 11 FIS World Cup podiums — is trying to enjoy some time off before he trains again for upcoming events.

"I went skiing with friends at home in Park City, and it was the first time all season I wasn’t thinking about contests or tricks for runs. Just skiing for fun again was amazing," he says. "After the season, I’m heading to Canada for filming, and then Alaska for heli-skiing. It’ll be my first time there, so it’ll be a big learning experience."