After making her World Cup debut nearly 10 years ago at age 15, New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott stormed onto the snowboarding scene and her dominant presence only has grown since then. The three-time Olympic medalist and reigning slopestyle world champion has left her mark on the record books for her home country and the sport as a whole, stomping numerous first-of-its-kind tricks en route to over a dozen World Cup podium finishes.

Read more about her career as she prepares to defend her Olympic title in slopestyle at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.

Where is Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from?

Sadowski-Synnott was born in Sydney, Australia, and grew up in the nearby suburb of Newport before moving to Wanaka, New Zealand at age 6.

How old is Zoi Sadowski-Synnott?

She was born on March 6, 2001, and will be 24 years old at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

When did Zoi Sadowski-Synnott start snowboarding?

After first hitting the slopes on skis when she was 4 years old, Sadowski-Synnott switched to snowboarding at age 9.

How did Zoi Sadowski-Synnott rise to fame?

She became notable in the snowboarding world after skyrocketing to success at a young age. She reached the World Cup podium for the first time in 2017 when she was 15 years old, capturing big air bronze in Quebec City. Just one month later, she took home silver in slopestyle at the world championships and, in the same month, won her first World Cup title in slopestyle. Her commanding results in her rookie World Cup season set the stage for her continued success throughout her career.

How many Olympic medals does Zoi Sadowski-Synnott have?

At the 2022 Beijing Games, Sadowski-Synnott became the first athlete from New Zealand to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics when she finished atop the podium in women’s snowboard slopestyle. She also took home silver in women’s big air that same year, making her the only New Zealander in history to win multiple medals at the same Winter Olympics.

At the 2018 PyeongChang Games, she claimed bronze in women’s big air.

What makes Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s snowboarding style unique?

Coupled with her ability to string together multiple difficult components one after another, Sadowski-Synnott blends technicality with huge amplitude for complicated, high-flying tricks. She is known for her innovative techniques that push the boundaries of what's possible for women snowboarders.

What is Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s career timeline in snowboarding?

Since entering competition at the senior level in late 2016 when she was 15 years old, Sadowski-Synnott quickly rose through the ranks in the snowboarding world. She earned her first World Cup podium that season, and from there, her career exploded with success. At age 16, she claimed slopestyle silver at the 2017 World Championships and, one week later, recorded her first World Cup victory in slopestyle. 

These compelling results earned her a spot on New Zealand’s team for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where she claimed bronze in big air. Sadowski-Synnott won slopestyle titles at each of the next two world championships, as well as slopestyle gold and big air silver medals at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Since then, she has added another world title to her trophy case with her slopestyle victory in 2025, a season in which she also claimed the Crystal Globe in slopestyle. 

How many X Games medals has Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won?

Dating back to her first time competing at the Winter X Games in 2018, Sadowski-Synnott has won a total of 13 medals. That includes six gold medals (five in slopestyle, one in big air); five silvers (two in slopestyle, three in big air); and two bronze medals (both for big air). Most recently, she captured silver in both disciplines at the 2026 X Games in Aspen. 

How has Zoi Sadowski-Synnott done in World Cup and world championship events?

She has won gold at the world championships three times, all in slopestyle (2019, 2021, 2025), and she has claimed silver three times as well: twice in slopestyle, once in big air. She also was the slopestyle Crystal Globe winner in 2025. She has accomplished 13 podium finishes in World Cup events with eight in slopestyle and five in big air.

What tricks is Zoi Sadowski-Synnott known for?

Sadowski-Synnott has been a trailblazer in terms of landing never-done-before tricks throughout her career. At the big air qualifying in PyeongChang, she became the first woman to land a switch backside 900 in competition. At the 2022 X Games, she became the first woman to land a frontside double 1080 and backside double 1080 back-to-back, and at the same event in 2025, she made history by successfully landing a backside triple cork 1440. 

What milestones has Zoi Sadowski-Synnott achieved for New Zealand winter sports history?

When she won bronze in big air at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Sadowski-Synnott became just the second athlete from New Zealand to take home a medal at the Winter Games and the first since 1992. That also made her the youngest Olympic medalist in the nation’s history until the record was broken later that same day by freeskier Nico Porteous. At the next Olympic Games in Beijing, she became the first New Zealander to claim multiple medals at one Winter Olympics. Her three Winter Olympic medals are the most all time for any athlete from New Zealand.

Will Zoi Sadowski-Synnott compete at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics?

For the third time in her career, Sadowski-Synnott is going to represent New Zealand at the Olympics when she competes at the Milan Cortina Games.

How has Zoi Sadowski-Synnott been performing during the 2025–26 snowboard season?

Sadowski-Synnott currently is ranked No. 1 in the world in slopestyle and No. 6 in big air on the World Snowboard Points List, though she has been battling bone bruising in her knee which has held her out of multiple World Cup events this season. The injury has not been severe enough to impact her training for the upcoming Olympics, and she recently secured a pair of silver medals at X Games in her final contests before heading to Livigno.

What is Zoi Sadowski-Synnott's medal outlook for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics?

Sadowski-Synnott is expected to contend for the top of the podium once again, particularly in slopestyle, which is her stronger discipline. She is the reigning slopestyle world champion, having won her third title in 2025, and also was the most recent Crystal Globe winner. Great Britain's Mia Brookes and Japan's Kokomo Murase are expected to be her toughest opponents in both events, though Austria's Anna Gasser is the two-time reigning Olympic champion in big air and a strong contender as well.

Learn more about the snowboarders set to compete at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.