Ollie Martin gave his odds of making the U.S. Olympic team a significant boost, breaking up a potential Japanese podium sweep with his 3rd-place finish in men’s snowboard big air at the World Cup stop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Martin put down a solid first-run score with his frontside triple cork 1800 mute, then unleashed one of the best tricks of the day on his second run: a cab triple cork 1620 that he pulled back into a 1440. That trick, which scored a 90.0, helped keep him in podium position for the rest of the contest.
Japan’s Kira Kimura held the lead after two runs, but his teammate, Hiroto Ogiwara, landed a backside 1980 tail grab on his last attempt to earn the day’s highest single-trick score. That score was just enough to overtake both Kimura and Martin on the overall leaderboard, and the reigning X Games champion held on for the win.
By the time he dropped in for his final run, Martin was already assured of a podium finish. This result is the latest in a series of a breakout performances for the 17-year-old, who ended last season by earning bronze medals in both big air and slopestyle at the 2025 World Championships.
Another Japanese rider, Ryoma Kimata, finished 4th behind that trio.
This event was the third and final World Cup stop of the season for snowboard big air. Had Kimura held on for the win, he would have earned the season title. Instead, the Crystal Globe went to China’s Su Yiming, who opted not to compete at Steamboat.
In addition, Steamboat served as the second of four selection events for the U.S. Olympic snowboard team in slopestyle and big air. Two men will automatically be named to the team — alongside the already-qualified Red Gerard — based on their best single result at one of the selection events.
Martin’s 3rd-place finish at Steamboat matches the same result that 2022 Olympian Sean FitzSimons had at a slopestyle selection event last season. For now, those two sit atop the list for the two automatic Olympic berths, but a lot could change in the next two events.
The team will include four men in total. U.S. Ski & Snowboard has the option to name the fourth member of the team as a discretionary selection. If the organization chooses not to use a discretionary pick, then it would come down to the athlete with the next-best result at one of the selection events.
That person is currently Judd Henkes, thanks to his 6th-place finish at Steamboat. Henkes’ penchant for unique, highly-technical tricks was on display once again in this final. His first trick featured a frontside nose butter takeoff, and his second trick featured a hardway backside spin off his heels.
The next two selection events will both be slopestyle competitions taking place in January.
In the women’s snowboard big air final, Jamie Anderson made her return to competition for the first time since the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Anderson, now 35 and a mother of two, has been one of the legends of the sport for a long time but took time away to start a family. She announced her comeback in September and since then has been training with the goal of making the Olympic team. Steamboat provided a solid start to her qualification bid, as she landed the cab double underflip, one of her go-to big air tricks, on the first run of the final and ended up in 6th-place overall.
Anderson’s finish matches the result that 16-year-old Lily Dhawornvej had at the first selection event, giving those two the early edge heading into the two remaining slopestyle contests. Three women will automatically earn berths based on results from the selection events. A fourth rider will be added via discretionary selection or next-best result.
The only woman in the field to attempt a 1260, Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka landed the cab 1260 mute on her final run to overtake South Korea’s Yu Seung-Eun for the win. Yu, 17, is in her first full season competing on the World Cup circuit and ended up with a career-best runner-up result.
Another rising talent, 16-year-old Australian Ally Hickman, rounded out the podium for the best result of her young career as well.
With the win, Onitsuka locked up her first Crystal Globe for big air. Her last Globe came in 2019, when she won the slopestyle and overall titles.
Men’s Snowboard Big Air
1. Hiroto Ogiwara (JPN), 180.25
2. Kira Kimura (JPN), 179.25
3. Ollie Martin (USA), 174.00
4. Ryoma Kimata (JPN), 168.00
5. Rene Rinnekangas (FIN), 155.75
6. Judd Henkes (USA), 135.00
7. Yuto Kimura (JPN), 130.00
8. Yuto Miyamura (JPN), 108.25
9. Lyon Farrell (NZL), 104.25
10. Zhao Yingxu (CHN), 53.75
Women’s Snowboard Big Air
1. Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN), 174.00
2. Yu Seung-Eun (KOR), 173.25
3. Ally Hickman (AUS), 162.25
4. Juliette Pelchat (CAN), 154.00
5. Zhang Xiaonan (CHN), 151.50
6. Jamie Anderson (USA), 146.50
7. Mela Stalker (AUS), 145.00
8. Yura Murase (JPN), 115.25