<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Japan’s <strong>Kokomo Murase</strong> landed three exceptional runs on Monday evening to add Olympic Big Air gold to her World Championships and X-Games titles at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In her third and final run of the evening <strong>Murase</strong> stomped a frontside triple cork 1440, stepping things up from her frontside triple cork 1260 from run two and earning a score of 89.25 in the process. Added to her first run score of 89.75 for her backside triple cork 1440 mute, Murase’s two run score of 179.00pts would give her the gold medal and a significant upgrade on her bronze medal from Beijing 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Murase’s victory extended Japan’s domination of the Big Air events, after <strong>Kira Kimura</strong> and <strong>Ryoma Kimata </strong>had a historic 1-2 finish in the men’s competition on Saturday evening.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It's a gold medal that brings me immense joy. The moment when winning Olympic gold, something I've long aspired to, became a reality." <strong>Kokomo Murase</strong> (JPN)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By replicating her Beijing 2022 silver medal, New Zealand’s<strong> Zoi Sadowski Synnott</strong> put herself in the history book by becoming the most decorated female snowboarder in Olympic history with four medals to her name - one gold, two silvers and a bronze. Proving once again her ability to step up when the stakes are highest, Sadowski-Synnott came back from a fall in run one to put down a backside triple cork 1440 mute of her own in run two, followed by a switch backside 1260 mute in run three for a two-run score of 172.75 and the silver medal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">18-year-old <strong>Seungeun Yu</strong> (KOR), a veteran of just five World Cup competitions, shocked the field with a bronze medal performance on Monday night, stomping a backside triple cork 1440 mute and a frontside triple cork 1440 frontside grab to lead proceedings going into the final run, before ending up with bronze on 171.00pts on her Olympic debut. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Great Britain’s <strong>Mia Brookes</strong> missed the podium by just one spot and 12 points, finishing in fourth with 159.00pts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While the podium trio celebrated, two-time champion <strong>Anna Gasser</strong> (AUT) bowed out of Big Air with any hopes of a threepeat dashed after her second jump. She finished eighth with 121.25pts and will turn her attention to slopestyle before retirement beckons.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Murase</strong> arrived in Livigno on the back of her X-Games title where she was the first woman to land a backside triple cork 1620 in competition. The 21-year-old also led a Japanese clean sweep at the 2025 World Championships in Engadin, Switzerland. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She was second behind<strong> Sadowski-Synnott </strong>after qualification in Livigno with the New Zealander favourite to clinch the title for a full set of Olympic Big Air medals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Murase had other ideas. She stomped her triple cork 1440 to earn 89.75pts as she led Yu (87.75pts) and Japanese teammate <strong>Reira Iwabuchi</strong> (82.75pts) with Britain’s<strong> Mia Brookes </strong>fourth (80.75pts). <strong>Sadowski-Synnott </strong>was 10th with 27.75pts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was<strong> Yu </strong>who ended the second run in front, earning 83.25pts for a total of 171.00pts after stomping her frontside triple cork. Murase (161.75pts) and Brookes (159.50pts) made up the top three as Sadowski-Synnott moved up the leaderboard after earning 88.75pts for her backside triple 1440.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The New Zealander then launched herself into top spot with a switch backside 1260 securing 83.50pts from the judges for a score of 172.25pts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There was a long way to go but she remained in top spot until Murase – who was jumping second last – stomped her final effort to earn 89.25pts and elevate herself into the lead.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Murase was guaranteed at least a silver with only Yu to go. The Korean soared on her frontside triple but couldn’t nail the landing and the title went the way of the Japanese athlete.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was only when she nailed her final run that Murase contemplated getting a medal. "I wasn't sure I would make it onto the podium until I landed that third run. When I did, the emotions flooded over me."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Sadowski-Sinnott </strong>became the first female snowboarder to win four medals, with her three in Big Air and Slopestyle gold at PyeongChang 2018 when she was just 16.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"That’s pretty crazy,” she said. “I heard the stat coming into the Olympics and I felt a lot of pressure on my shoulders to perform when it counted. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I try not to think about it too much because it's snowboarding and it's fun. We're doing tricks that are really scary and I just try to focus on the process. To add a fourth Olympic medal to my roster is pretty special."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Yu</strong> had been really nervous and described landing the front 1440 for the first time as “really amazing.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I was injured for a year, so I wasn't able to do a lot of things,” she said. “But it gave me the courage to say, 'I can do it next time'. I'm very proud of myself right now."</div>