Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (Wānaka, 23) has won the FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Aspen this morning, her first Big Air World Cup victory since December 2023.
This result firmly marks Sadowski-Synott’s return to the absolute top of women’s snowboarding since her ankle injury sidelined her for much of 2024.
Sadowski-Synnott said; “I actually can’t believe it, the conditions were kind of challenging today with the firm, shady landing in contrast with the run-in being soft and bumpy. To put down those two tricks in these conditions, I am pretty stoked.”
Weather was warm and windy in Aspen, requiring some tactical snowboarding from Sadowski-Synnott to ensure she could throw her biggest tricks, despite a course that was getting softer and winds that were increasing.
She put her two winning tricks down on her first two runs, which was a crucial move in taking the win today, explaining; “To put those first two [tricks] down was kind of playing tactics, but I am stoked.”
Sadowski-Synnott stomped a switch backside double corked 1260 with a weddle grab for her first run, scoring the highest single jump score of the day with an 89.00 to take an early lead. She paired that with a backside double 1080 drunk driver grab (both hands on the board) to take the lead after run two, two points ahead of her nearest competitor Kokomo Murase of Japan.
With Murase recording a DNI (did not improve) for her third and final run, Sadowski-Synnott dropped into a victory lap as she once again had rode her way to the top of women’s snowboarding big air.
Sadowski-Synnott in first and Murase in second were joined on the podium by Japan’s Momo Suzuki who rounded out the podium in third.
Today’s result rounds out a huge couple of weeks in Aspen for Sadowski-Synnott with two X Games medals (gold and bronze) and two World Cup wins. The Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air World Cup circuit will now take a break and resume on the 18th of February in Calgary, Canada.
15 days ago