Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara won the men’s snowboarding big air gold medal Friday and made history in the process in his first X Games, where compatriot Taiga Hasegawa failed to win for the second straight time and settled for silver.
According to organizers, Ogiwara, who, like Hasegawa, is 19, became the first in competition to land a backside 6-1/2-revolution trick scoring 97.33 points to earn the win in Aspen, Colorado.
Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara competes in the men’s snowboarding big air at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado, on Jan. 24, 2025. (Getty/Kyodo)
“I am the first in the world to do that. I’ve never been as happy as this,” Ogiwara said. “It was really the greatest moment. It felt as if I used every ounce of energy I had.”
Hasegawa finished with 94.66 after setting a high standard by nailing a six-revolution trick. Rocco Jamieson, an 18-year-old New Zealander, also making his X Games debut, was third with 91.33.
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won the women’s slopestyle with 94.66 points. Japan’s Kokomo Murase (90.33) was second and Britain’s Mia Brookes (88.33) third.
Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara competes in the men’s snowboarding big air at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado, on Jan. 24, 2025. (Getty/Kyodo)
Hiroto Ogiwara (R) poses with his gold medal along with Japanese compatriot and silver medalist Taiga Hasegawa after X Games big air competition in Aspen, Colorado, on Jan. 24, 2025. (Kyodo)
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