The men’s snowboard big air final is set to take place on Saturday, Feb. 7, on USA, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Here are the 12 competitors, along with their qualifying scores (which do not factor into the medal round):
- Hiroto Ogiwara, Japan (178.50)
- Ian Matteoli, Italy (174.50)
- Kira Kimura, Japan (173.25)
- Su Yiming, China (172.75)
- Taiga Hasegawa, Japan (172.25)
- Francis Jobin, Canada (170.75)
- Lyon Farrell, New Zealand (170.00)
- Rocco Jamieson, New Zealand (168.25)
- Ollie Martin, United States (167.50)
- Ryoma Kimata, Japan (164.75)
- Dane Menzies, New Zealand (164.00)
- Valentino Guseli, Australia (163.00)
What is big air snowboarding?
Big air is a discipline in Olympic snowboarding in which athletes launch off a 140-foot ramp and, while airborne, perform a creative trick before attempting to land cleanly. Riders perform three different runs, with their two best scores added together to determine the final result. Athletes are required to perform two different tricks on the two runs that count toward their total score.
Big air snowboarding is judged on a 0–100 scale, with key criteria also known as D.E.A.L.:
- Difficulty: Assessing the technical ability of the jump, specifically the number of spins and flips performed.
- Execution: Proper form and control the snowboarder displays while performing the trick.
- Amplitude: The height reached in the air and the distance achieved from the jump, including landing in the “sweet spot.”
- Landing: A clean landing is essential. A major component of scoring is the snowboarder’s ability to maintain control without using hands for balance.
- Progression: Rewards riders for creativity and standing out by introducing tricks that have not been seen before.
What is the difference between big air and other snowboarding disciplines?
Big air is one of the three disciplines within Olympic snowboarding that are judged on a points system rather than decided in head-to-head competition. The key difference between big air and the other disciplines is the emphasis on a single jump. Athletes get three attempts, with only their two best tricks counting toward their score.
The other two snowboarding events judged on a points system are slopestyle, in which riders go through a course with a variety of obstacles and are judged on how they complete the line, and halfpipe, where athletes ride down a pipe performing tricks that are judged on difficulty, execution and overall run. Snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom are speed-based events, meaning results are determined by head-to-head racing rather than judged scores.
When did snowboarding become an Olympic sport?
Snowboarding made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, featuring only giant slalom and halfpipe. The sport has since expanded to five disciplines, including big air, which made its Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Is Red Gerard in the big air final?
No. Gerard was unable to qualify for the big air final, finishing 20th out of 30 competitors. The top 12 advanced to the final.
Gerard is set to compete in his primary discipline, slopestyle, on Monday, Feb. 16, with a potential additional appearance on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in the final. Slopestyle is the discipline in which he won gold at the 2018 Games, becoming the youngest men’s snowboard Olympic gold medalist in history.
The lone American in the men's snowboard big air final is 17-year-old Ollie Martin.