Medals update: Austria's Anna Gasser goes back-to-back with women’s snowboard big air gold

The Olympic women’s snowboard big air finals at the Shougang Industrial Park were packed full of tension from start to finish with Anna Gasser eventually defending her gold from PyeongChang 2018 by edging 20-year-old Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand (silver) to the gold medal with Japan's Murase Kokomo taking the bronze.

“I'm feeling so happy right now, I honestly did not expect this at all," said Gasser who didn't even have to pull out the triple cork she keeps in her back pocket in case of emergencies. "The level has been so high, all the girls were riding so well and I just wanted to show my tricks today, it was surprising that I'm on top of the podium again."

The competition was held without USA legend and two-time and defending women's snowboard slopestyle Olympic champion Jamie Anderson who fell twice in the qualifying rounds and was unable to move on to these finals.

"The winning strategy was maybe just having fun and not caring about the result that much, and just caring about showing my snowboarding today," added double gold rider Gasser. "I wasn't playing it safe, I was trying to give it all."

Sadowski-Synnott, first place from the qualifying rounds, went last of the 12 athletes in the first round of runs. The Kiwi’s massive 1080, which saw her land almost halfway down the landing zone, earned her a 93.25 – 3.25 points more than defending Olympic champion Gasser's 1080 which lacked the same kind of punch and amplitude.

The New Zealander went last again in the second round, where her backside 1080 earned her a score of 83.75 (combined 177.00 from the two runs) that was just barely enough to knock Gasser, who finished a frontside 1080 for a combined two-run score of 176.75, out of first place heading into the