Japan's Kokomo Murase Claims Olympic Gold in Women's Snowboard Big Air as Anna Gasser's Dynasty Ends

Japan's snowboarding dominance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics continued on Monday night as 21-year-old Kokomo Murase captured gold in the women's big air final with a sensational performance that dethroned two-time defending champion Anna Gasser. Murase's winning score of 179.00 marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new chapter in Olympic snowboarding history.

Murase delivered when it mattered most, landing the incredibly difficult triple cork 1440—a trick requiring three off-axis flips while rotating four full times—not once but twice during the competition. The reigning world champion saved her best for last, executing a flawless final run that catapulted her from bronze medal position to Olympic gold. Her combined score proved untouchable, as she upgraded the bronze medal she won at Beijing 2022 to the top step of the podium four years later.

New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, the defending silver medalist from Beijing, had to settle for the same color once again with a score of 172.25. Despite a strong performance throughout the competition, she couldn't match Murase's technical difficulty and execution. The bronze medal went to 18-year-old South Korean sensation Seungeun Yu, who scored 171.00 to claim her nation's first Olympic medal in snowboard big air and announce herself as a rising star in the sport.

The night belonged to Murase's triumph, but it was also marked by the bittersweet farewell of Austria's Anna Gasser, who had won gold at both PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. The 35-year-old legend attempted to land the same high-difficulty tricks that had brought her Olympic glory in previous Games, but failed to complete either of her first two jumps. Realizing the tricks that once made her untouchable would now only place her fifth or sixth, Gasser couldn't find the magic one last time, finishing the competition without a medal in what is likely her final Olympic appearance.

Murase's victory extends Japan's remarkable snowboarding success at these Games, coming just two days after Japanese men swept the top two positions in the men's big air event. The result cements Japan's position as the dominant force in freestyle snowboarding and adds another gold medal to their impressive haul at Milano Cortina 2026. For Murase, it represents the culmination of four years of preparation and the fulfillment of Olympic dreams.