Zoi Sadowski Synnott won New Zealand’s first gold medal in Winter Olympics history on Sunday, stomping down a pressure-packed run on her final trip down the mountain to win the title in women’s slopestyle.
Despite hardpacked snow and bone-chilling wind chills that made things difficult for most of the 12 finalists, the 20-year-old attacked the supersized course with a challenging, progressive run designed for 2022. Jamie Anderson, the two-time defending champion, finished ninth.
Sadowski Synnott entered her final of three runs trailing American Julia Marino, but she came up big.
“It was the best run of my life,” she said.
On the second-to-last jump, she landed a double-cork 1080, including a solid grab of the middle of the board that she held for more than long enough for the judges to see clearly. Then she did the double cork in a different direction, just like she did when she won the Winter X Games last month, becoming the first woman to do so.
After landing, she raised her hands in the air, realising what she’d done. Marino, who took silver, and third-place finisher Tess Coady of Australia tackled her at the finish line to celebrate her victory.
Post Your Comments