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Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is through to her third Snowboard Big Air Olympic finals, topping the qualifying rounds at Livigno Snow Park.
Second athlete out of the gate, Sadowski-Synnott set out to make a statement, landing a switch backside 1260 - a trick which only a handful of other competitors have in their arsenal - for a score of 90. From then on, she was never out of the top spot on the leaderboard.
To qualify, athletes must land two tricks spun in different directions, and the combined scores of the best two runs out of three count.
Sadowski-Synnott put down a backside double cork 1080 with easy style on run two, earning a score of 82.25 and securing her place in the final. She repeated the 1080 for her final run, for the same score, confirming that she has that trick well and truly locked in.
“I’m really stoked to put down my runs and get a spot in finals tomorrow night,” said Sadowski-Synnott. “I did what I wanted. I’m really stoked to put down the switchback 12 on my first run because that was the one giving me a little bit of trouble in practice, but I’m even more stoked the pressure is off my shoulders and I can finally enjoy being here and prepare for finals. I’ve got a couple of tricks that I’d love to do and hope I can do them when it counts.
“The jump is running amazingly, there are a lot of girls landing 1080s,” said Sadowski-Synnott.
As expected, the finals field is stacked with talented riders with big tricks in the bag, including two-time Olympic gold medallist Anna Gasser (AUT) and 2022 bronze medallist Kokomo Murase (JPN). GB’s Mia Brookes is in the mix having also landed a backside 1260, scoring 89 points, just behind Sadowski Synnott’s 90.
The run order will be reversed for the final with Sadowski-Synnott, as the top qualifier, the final athlete to drop into the jump, allowing her a strategic look at her competitors’ runs before she takes her turn.
19-year-old Lucia Georgalli looked confident on her Olympic debut, making a strong start by landing a stylish backside 1080, which would put her in 11th place at the end of the first run of three. She was unable to put down clean landings on her second and third attempts and did not qualify through to finals, finishing in 25th place.
Georgalli says that despite not qualifying, she had ticked off other important goals.
“It was such an amazing experience, being able to ride with Zoi on the Olympic stage has been just a dream come true. I was able to land a backside double 1080 which I’m really, really happy about. I wasn’t able to land my other two runs but I had a really fun time and my goal was to enjoy the night.”
The women’s Snowboard Big Air finals take place on Monday 9 February local time, 7.30am Tuesday 10 February NZT.