Ono Mitsuki: Japan’s 17-year-old halfpipe star aims for "a medal next time" after Beijing 2022 final

Within minutes of the Beijing 2022 women’s snowboard halfpipe final, Ono Mitsuki was already looking to the future.

"Over the next four years I want to master much more difficult tricks to win a medal for the next time," she told Olympics.com at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.

"I will do my best over the next four years."

Ono had been looking to back up her brilliant qualifying form and secure Japan’s first Olympic Games women's halfpipe medal.

Japan did get its first medal in the event, courtesy of Tomita Sena who finished third behind gold medal winner Chloe Kim of America and silver medallist Queralt Castellet.

Ono came eighth in a competitive field and fierce battle for podium places.

The 17-year-old was making her Olympic Winter Games debut and after winning the snowboard halfpipe gold at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Lausanne 2020, she had hopes of emulating Kim in winning gold at the Games after achieving the YOG title, which Kim did at Lillehammer 2016 and PyeongChang 2018.

The Saitama resident produced her best score of 71.50 in the first round of the final on Thursday 10 February. It was a solid start, but she was unable to improve and match her qualifying score of 83.75, falling on her two remaining runs in the competition for medals.

"I could overcome the fear of the accident at the second run but I think it was because of my weakness that I could not land at the final run," she said at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.

"I want to tell my appreciation and I wanted to express it through my snowboarding performance," she added.

The two-time junior world champion of course has plenty more to offer the sport and is determined to be back bigger than ever at Milano Cortina 2026.

"I will do it on the next