Japan captured its eighth and ninth snowboarding medals Wednesday, including a fourth gold, to cap a dominant showing in the sport at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Mari Fukada won the top prize and Kokomo Murase took bronze, while 2022 champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand earned silver.
Fukada dialed it back on her second of three runs, posting 7.95 or better on all six course sections to fly from 10th into the lead with a score of 85.70. On her final run, still sitting 1st, the 19-year-old scored a perfect 10.00 on a switch backside 1260 she missed on her first run to increase her score to 87.83.
Sadowski-Synnott, in 4th place and dropping last, had a shot to overtake Fukada and defend her title, but came up short. Her jump line — switch backside 900 into back-to-back 1080s — was lethal, but she came off early on a lipslide pretzel 270 out, leaving points on the table for an 87.48.
“We come into finals days with an idea of what we want to do," Sadowski-Synnott said. "At the end of the day, the scores don’t matter. We’re all just very happy to be snowboarding. I think the goal, for all of us, is to put down runs we’re proud of, regardless of the result.”
The New Zealander now owns five career Olympic medals, the most ever for a snowboarder. At 16, she won big air bronze at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, then added big air silver and slopestyle gold at the 2022 Beijing Games. Last week, she claimed big air silver behind Murase for medal No. 4.
"Growing up in New Zealand, I started snowboarding when I was 8 and I wanted to get as good as I could," Sadowski-Synnott said. "I was addicted to that feeling of slowly getting better and learning new tricks. I love the feeling because it makes me feel alive. Just to have the opportunity to go to the Olympics, coming from [a] small country … I'm proud to come from New Zealand and represent snowboarding."
Japan commanded snowboard park and pipe events in Italy, making all six podiums, collecting half of 18 total medals, and winning four of six golds.
At the 2025 World Championships, Fukada placed 4th behind Sadowski-Synnott (1st), Murase (2nd) and Japan's Reira Iwabuchi (3rd), who finished 8th in Wednesday's final. Fukada ranked 7th in Sunday's qualifying.
“I’m not sure if I’m performing as cool as my rivals, who are sitting here with me," said Fukada at a post-competition press conference. "When I look at Kokomo's performance, I can see she’s having a lot of fun. It made me feel like I would like to try the same. … The fact that I was able to perform in front of people around the world at the Olympic Games, the fact that I was able to show my run today, is something that makes me very happy.”
Four-time Olympian Anna Gasser of Austria, 34, likely took her last rides at the Olympic Games, finishing 10th. The two-time gold medalist in big air was the last of the inaugural slopestyle competitors from the 2014 Sochi Games along with 32-year-old Canadian Mark McMorris on the men's side.
"I'm pretty sure this Olympic journey for me is over," Gasser said. "I'm very thankful I have those two gold medals from the big air at home, and I kind of achieved my dream with winning those gold medals in the last two Olympics. … I don't know what's next 100 percent yet. I was so focused on this big goal, but I'm for sure going to keep snowboarding."
Multiple riders commented on Gasser's influence on the sport, including Sadowski-Synnott.
“I’m a bit emotional that it is Anna’s last Olympics and probably her last season competing," she said. "She has had the biggest impact on the progression of snowboarding ever. I’m really grateful I’ve had the opportunity to compete with her, and shared time with her snowboarding.
“There’s no one else who really does it like her, and I don’t think anyone can compare to the legacy she’s going to leave. She is such a great person to represent snowboarding, so passionate and willing to risk anything to show the progression of women’s snowboarding. I’m really going to miss her.”
Americans Jess Perlmutter of New Jersey and Lily Dhawornvej of Colorado, both 16, finished 6th and 11th, respectively.
“I'm so grateful for this experience. Just being here is crazy," Perlmutter said. "I think this definitely prepares me for what's next. Like, this is the craziest, so everything after will be pretty chill.”
The U.S. leaves Italy without a snowboarding gold for the first time since the sport's Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games.
Wednesday's final was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final
🥇 Mari Fukada, Japan (87.83)
🥈 Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, New Zealand (87.48)
🥉 Kokomo Murase, Japan (85.50)
4. Annika Morgan, Germany (78.78)
5. Laurie Blouin, Canada (68.60)
6. Jess Perlmutter, United States (68.18)
7. Ally Hickman, Australia (67.70)
8. Reira Iwabuchi, Japan (52.11)
9. Juliette Pelchat, Canada (51.76)
10. Anna Gasser, Austria (46.95)
11. Lily Dhawornvej, United States (41.81)
12. Yu Seung-Eun, South Korea (34.18)