Zoi Sadowski-Synnott on snowboard culture: “The only sport where your competitors cheer for you”

Zoi Sadowski-Synott celebrated the camaraderie among her fellow snowboarders after winning the slopestyle at Beijing 2022.

Sadowski Synott made history by becoming the first New Zealand athlete to claim gold at the Olympic Winter Games ahead of Julia Marino and Tess Coady.

The two-time world champion was second behind Marino going into the final run and nailed a 1080 double cork to move into the gold-medal position.

The magnitude of what she had done was recognised by her rivals with Marino and Coady running to Sadowski-Synott and hugging her with the trio ending up in a heap on the snow.

The 20-year-old, who won bronze in the big air at PyeongChang 2018, spoke ahead of the Games about how she was not comfortable in the spotlight, something to which she will now have to become accustomed.

However, the culture of unity and inspiration among the women's snowboarding community will no doubt act as support.

She said: "It's like the only sport where your competitors cheer for you.

"Like, more stoked when when someone else lands a trick than a person is themselves. And yeah, I yeah, I just cannot believe it. "

Sadowski-Synott seeks to inspire

Sadowski-Synott was born in Sydney, Australia, to Sean Synott, a Kiwi, and an American mother Robin Sadowski.

Her parents were keen snow sport enthusiasts who met at the ski resort of Whistler, in British Columbia, Canada.

The only girl of the family with three brothers - Dylan, Reilly and Harrison - they would go on an annual holiday to Whistler until Sadowski-Synott was eight.

She took up snowboarding a year later and, driven on by a desire to better her brothers' tricks, she soon set her heart on competing at the Winter Olympics and X Games.

The Kiwi is based at Wanaka, on the South Island of New Zealand, where the family moved when she was six years old.

Now she wants to encourage children in New Zealand to try the sport out, saying: "I really hope that my performance here will inspire young kids back home to take up snowboarding because I think it's the funnest sport ever."

When to watch Zoi Sadowski-Synnott compete next at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022?

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott will be competing for another medal in the women's snowboard big air event, with the final scheduled on Tuesday 15 February at 9:30 Beijing time (17:30 PST on Monday).