LIVIGNO, Italy — Japanese snowboarder Kokomo Murase captured Olympic gold in a spectacular women’s big air final on Monday, demonstrating Japan’s growing dominance in snowboarding sports. The victory came just two days after Japanese athletes secured gold and silver in the men’s event.
Murase had already guaranteed herself at least a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Games when she executed a daring final jump that propelled her to the top of the standings. This gold medal adds to her bronze from the same event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, marking significant career progression for the young athlete.
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed silver, repeating her performance from the previous Winter Games. She had been positioned to take gold until Murase’s impressive penultimate jump shifted the competition dynamics. South Korea’s eighteen-year-old Seung-eun Yu secured bronze despite falling on her final landing attempt.
Japan’s snowboarding prowess was further highlighted by their qualification of four riders in both the men’s and women’s 12-person finals—more than any other nation. Additional medals may be forthcoming for Japan with Murase set to compete in snowboarding slopestyle and Ayumu Hirano defending his men’s halfpipe gold.
The competition also marked the end of an era as two-time defending champion Anna Gasser of Austria finished eighth, failing in her bid to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals. The 34-year-old acknowledged the sport’s rapid progression, noting that tricks which earned gold in 2022 would now barely qualify for finals.
The event showcased extraordinary athletic advancement with Murase, Sadowski-Synnott, and Yu all performing jumps featuring 1440 degrees of rotation. Gasser reflected on the sport’s evolution, stating: ‘Women’s snowboarding has been progressing every year. If you stop progressing, you’re gone.’
Following the awards ceremony, Sadowski-Synnott received a traditional haka tribute from her New Zealand team. The silver medal represents her third Olympic medal in big air, adding to her historic achievement as New Zealand’s first Winter Games gold medalist in 2022.