 |
|
 |
||
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||
MidWest MFA AgriServices group has locations at St. Joseph, Maysville, and KingCity. CLICK - MFA CONNECT
|
|
Printable Page
02/09 14:31 CST Kokomo Murase wins gold in women's big air, extending Japan's
snowboarding success at the Olympics
Kokomo Murase wins gold in women's big air, extending Japan's snowboarding
success at the Olympics
By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) --- Japanese snowboarder Kokomo Murase won Olympic gold in
women's big air on Monday, two days after her teammates swept the top two
medals in the men's event.
Murase had already locked up at least a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Games
when she went for broke on her last jump and nailed it to move to the top of
the standings. She added the gold medal to her bronze from the same event at
the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand repeated as silver medalist. She had been
on the cusp of taking gold until Murase soared in front with the penultimate
jump of the competition.
Eighteen-year-old Seung-eun Yu of South Korea claimed bronze.
On Saturday, Japanese teammates Kira Kimura and Ryoma Kimata won gold and
silver, respectively, in men's big air.
Japan's depth of talent in snowboarding was also evident in both the women's
and men's events, where the team placed four riders in each 12-person final,
more than any other nation.
And more snowboarding medals could come to Japan in the Italian Alps. Murase
will also compete in the snowboarding slopestyle event, while Ayumu Hirano will
try to defend his gold medal in men's halfpipe.
Two-time defending champion Anna Gasser finished eighth on Monday, falling
short in her bid to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive
Olympic gold medals. She fell on her first jump and had a costly bobble while
landing her second.
The 34-year-old Austrian will compete again at the Milan Cortina Games in
slopestyle.
The big air final also showcased a leap forward in the daring exploits these
snowboarders are taking.
Murase, Sadowski-Synnott and Yu all performed extremely difficult jumps
featuring 1440 degrees of rotation (three flips with a spin).
Sadowski-Synnott received a traditional haka tribute from her New Zealand team
after the awards ceremony. It was her third Olympic medal in big air after also
earning bronze at age 16 at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
___
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
