RUMSON -- A borough native placed among the top 10 in a test event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, earning the best finish for a U.S. athlete in the parallel giant slalom snowboarding event.

Aaron "AJ" Muss' seventh-place finish in the World Cup event, held on Feb. 16, was his career best. The World Cup, held in Phoenix Park Resort in PyeonChang, South Korea, is an Olympic qualifying event. The Olympic team won't be named until January 2018, but this finish puts him ahead of his fellow U.S. competitors in this event. 

"AJ's seventh place finish is a great result," said Jeremy Forster, U.S. Snowboarding Program director. "We congratulate AJ on his performance at the Olympic test event and look forward to him building on his performance leading into the Olympic season."

NJ Advance Media profiled Muss and his sister, Alexa, in August. AJ Muss, 21, has eight first-place finishes in professional snowboarding and skiing competitions under his belt. Alexa Muss, 15, is a competitive surfer who recently placed 15th overall in the VANS U.S. Open, a contest that attracts the world's best surfers.

For AJ Muss, earning a seventh-place finish in the World Cup event is especially gratifying considering he is just two years removed from a near career-ending shoulder surgery.

A freak occurrence after the surgery had him clinically dead for about 30 seconds and put him in a coma and on life support for two weeks. 

Once Muss recovered, he was back on the slopes, chasing his dream of becoming an Olympic medalist.

"I have a short window to be an Olympian, to accomplish what I want to accomplish," he said in the August interview. "It's all about the priorities." 

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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