Japan's Otsuka Takeru and Iwabuchi Reira take Big Air World Cup season opener in Chur 

Japanese snowboarders made a huge statement at Big Air Chur Festival on Saturday 22 October.

The first FIS Snowboard World Cup event of the 2022/23 big air season was a great indication of what we can expect in the upcoming months. The good news is, the forecast is impressive.

Japan had three snowboarders on the podium with Otsuka Takeru taking out the men's competition and Iwabuchi Reira the women's.

Tobita Ruki was second behind his fellow countryman.

Snowboarders had three attempts to land their best tricks and their best two scores count.

Read on for how the competition went down.

Read more: Here is everything you need to know about this season.

Otsuka shows his time is now

Japan's Otsuka Takeru shone on another level on Saturday night.

The 20-year-old has had a few years of injuries so he sent a clear message of his return with his performance in Chur.

After his victory, Otsuka said, "This is my first time on the podium since I hurt my knee. I'm so stoked to be back. The crowd is amazing, I'll be back next year too."

He put the bar high on his first jump, throwing down a 77.75, setting the tone of what he planned to do.

Germany's Noah Victor sat second after earning a 73.75 score for his first landing but he failed to deliver in his second jump which cost him a podium finish.

Tobita Ruki's second attempt down the ramp was jaw-dropping and the judges rewarded him with a massive 86.75 score which put him in second. Otsuka seemed to only get more fired up by his fellow countryman's performance and in response delivered a 88.75, the biggest men's score of the evening.

Swiss Nick Puenter had his local crowd screaming after he landed a front double 1080 weddle on his final jump to move into second. Ruki would bump him into the third spot on the podium though, thanks to his final jump effort.

Otsuka's total was 166.50 followed by Tobita's best two jumps equalling 140.00. Puenter was third with 125.50.

Queen Iwabuchi dominates women's competition

Iwabuchi Reira was in a league of her own in Switzerland.

The Japanese rider had her fellow competitors on their feet as she landed her third and final jump of the night, with an impressive 1080 chicken salad. This spicy trick earned her a 90.00 and took her overall total to 180.75.

Speaking after her win the 20-year-old said, "It was hard to jump this jump but I'm so stoked to land two best tens for me."

She took the top spot ahead of two-time Olympic big air champion Anna Gasser who finished second with 164.75.

Jasmine Baird of Canada rounded out the podium in third with a total 131.25 for her two best scores.

Gasser proved her class early by scoring 84.75 in her first jump. While she took the lead, it was short-lived as straight behind her Japan's Iwabuchi dropped in with a back double 1080 weddle and claimed the highest women's score of the night, 90.75.

Gasser backed up her first jump with an 80.00 while her Japanese rival went one better yet again with an 89.75-second jump score.

Sister-act of Kokomo and Yura Murase were also in good form. Older sibling Kokomo is the Big Air Olympic bronze medallist from Beijing 2022 but 15-year-old Yura finished fourth with 129.75 ahead of her sister in fifth with 119.00.

Big Air: Snowboard World Cup 2022/23 FIS calendar

For results, where to watch and event updates, check out the official FIS website.

• November 25-26, 2022
  Falun, Sweden
  Men & Women, Snowboard

• December 3, 2022
  Beijing, China
  Men & Women, Snowboard

• December 10, 2022
  Edmonton, Canada
  Men & Women, Snowboard

• December 16-17, 2022
  Copper Mountain, USA
  Men & Women, Snowboard

• January 14, 2023
  Kreischberg, Austria
  Men & Women, Snowboard

The 2023 FIS Snowboard World Championships will take place in Bakuriani, Georgia from 19 February to 5 March 2023.