Snowboard women's big air final: Preview, schedule and stars to watch
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott tops big air qualifiers as Jamie Anderson misses the cut with Japanese duo Murase and Iwabuchi in podium positions. So when and what time is big air final on? Where to watch? Who are the experts' favourites? Find out here.
Snowboard
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott already has one Olympic gold medal to her name at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in slopestyle and now she could add another in snowboard big air.
The Kiwi boarder topped big air qualification on Monday 14 February with the highest score of the day - 91.00 - on her third run of three for a combined total of 176.50.
A huge backside 1080 with a nice weddle grab for her first jump gave her 85.5 points, then a nice front seven with a melon grab put her in a strong position after Run 2.
On her third run she stomped down a ridiculous double cork 1080 with a melon grab, scoring 91.00 and emerging top in qualifying by a safe distance.
Japan's 17-year-old Murase Kokomo finished second on 171 points and Iwabuchi Reira (158.50) third in the podium positions in qualifying.
And there was a shock as the USA's Jamie Anderson did not make the final, finishing in 15th place, outside the top 12 who qualified.
The 31-year-old has been open and candid about an 'emotional breakdown' before the slopestyle final and struggled in the big air too, failing to land her big tricks on the first two runs.
But the double Olympic slopestyle champ went out in style with a huge double 10 on her third and final run.
The PyeongChang 2018 big air silver medallist has bowed out, and it remains to be seen if that is her final Olympic farewell too.
Snowboard women big air final: Stars to watch
Sadowski-Synnott has already put that "crazy moment" behind her after she won New Zealand's first ever Olympic gold medal in the women's slopestyle on Saturday 5 February.
Now her focus is fully on winning their second ever.
The Kiwi superstar rider won the X Games big air in Aspen right before Beijing and could be on for an unprecedented double - no woman has won both slopestyle and big air at the same Olympics before.
She is the reigning big air bronze medallist from PyeongChang when she was just 16 years of age, and now four years later she's a much more rounded and mature boarder.
But there are plenty of other contenders who could steal her thunder and grab big air glory in the final on Tuesday 15 February, not least the two Japanese riders who finished in second and third place behind New Zealand's Sadowski-Synnott.
Murase Kokomo is out to become Japan's first female snowboard gold medallist, and she put down two solid runs of 85 and 86 points, the closest to the Kiwi leader after qualifying.
Murase has been competing in big air at the X Games since she was 13, and now at 17 her first Olympic medal is in sight.
Murase's teammate Iwabuchi Reira has signalled her intentions too with third place in the qualification scoring a combined 158.50.
However, with the slate wiped clean for the final, we could see a surprise or two, there were two other riders within five points of Iwabuchi: Canada's Laurie Blouin (4th) and Onitsuka Miyabi (5th) - Japan's third qualifier.
And there is Anna Gasser (6th).
The Austrian is reigning big air Olympic champion from four years ago and when the nerves go jingle jangle in the final, she has what it takes to hold steady.
21-year-old Aussie rider Tess Coady claimed top spot at the Laax Open a couple of weeks ago to put her name in the conversation for the Beijing podium before the Games, and she qualified in 7th place behind Gasser.
Don't write off rising stars like Germany's Annika Morgan (8th), or 17-year-old Dutch rider Melissa Peperkamp (11th) either, anything can happen in a final.
China's Rong Ge carries the host hopes and she qualified in 9th.
Who qualified for the women's snowboard big air final Beijing 2022 Olympics?
Qualification was rocking, and expectations are sky high for Tuesday's final, here's who qualified and their scores:
- Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL) 176.50
- MURASE Kokomo (JPN) 171.00
- IWABUCHI Reira (JPN) 158.50
- Laurie Blouin (CAN) 156.25
- ONITSUKA Miyabi (JPN) 154.25
- Anna Gasser (AUT) 153.50
- Tess Coady (AUS) 136.25
- Annika Morgan (GER) 132.25
- RONG Ge (CHN) 129.75
- Jasmine Baird (CAN) 129.50
- Melissa Peperkamp 128.25
- Hailey Langland (USA) 127.50
Schedule: Women's snowboard big air final Beijing 2022 Olympics?
The women's big air final happens on Tuesday 15 February in the morning (Beijing time)
Big air gold medal final times
Women's Snowboard Big Air Final Run 1: 9:30 - 9:50
Women's Snowboard Big Air Final Run 2: 9:52 - 10:12
Women's Snowboard Big Air Final Run 3 - the medals decider: 10:15 - 10:35
Where and how to watch snowboard big air at Beijing 2022
From the Opening Ceremony to athlete action, here's where and how you can watch the Winter Games in your region via the Official Olympic Broadcast Partners.
Keep up with all the action in our Live Blog updates throughout Beijing 2022, here.