Murase adds Olympic gold to world and X-Games titles as Japan asserts Big Air dominance

Japan’s Kokomo Murase 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.

In her third and final run of the evening Murase 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.

Murase’s victory extended Japan’s domination of the Big Air events, after Kimura Kira and Kimata Ryoma had a historic 1-2 finish in the men’s competition on Saturday evening. 

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. – Kokomo Murase (JPN)

By replicating her Beijing 2022 silver medal, New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski Synnott put herself in the history books 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.

18-year-old Seungeun Yu (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. 

Great Britain’s Mia Brookes missed the podium by just one spot and 12 points, finishing in fourth with 159.00pts.

While the podium trio celebrated, two-time champion Anna Gasser (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.

Murase 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. 

She was second behind Sadowski-Synnott after qualification in Livigno with the New Zealander favourite to clinch the title for a full set of Olympic Big Air medals.

Murase had other ideas. She stomped her triple cork 1440 to earn 89.75pts as she led Yu (87.75pts) and Japanese teammate Reira Iwabuchi (82.75pts) with Britain’s Mia Brookes fourth (80.75pts). Sadowski-Synnott was 10^th with 27.75pts.

It was Yu 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.