Women's snowboard stars mob big air winner Gasser, almost miss ceremony

Such is the love, camaraderie and support within women’s snowboarding, Anna Gasser, Zoi Sadowski Synnott and Murase Kokomo almost missed their Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 victory ceremony.

Gasser won the snowboard women’s big air gold medal on Tuesday 15 February, ahead of silver medallist Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand and Japan’s Murase in third. It was the Austrian's second Olympic gold after her big air title at PyeongChang 2018.

As each of the final competitors finished their third jumps, they were mobbed by the majority of their rivals who couldn’t wait to celebrate with and congratulate them, despite finishing further down the standings.

Even if their opponents didn’t quite nail their final jump, the levels of excitement around the type of trick they tried and how hard they were pushing the sport, drove rapturous scenes.

In amongst all of the hugging and cheering there was little thought for the formalities that were due to follow the end of competition, with the medal winners to be celebrated at Big Air Shougang.

The ceremony did eventually take place and Gasser, Synnott and Murase were dutifully celebrated by the wider crowd too.

But the scenes at the women’s big air on Tuesday were reminiscent of the famous ones after Sadowski Synnott won New Zealand’s first ever Olympic Winter Games gold medal, when she blitzed the women’s slopestyle competition earlier in the Games.

"I feel like it’s so special that we’re all so close together," Gasser said of her fellow competitors on Tuesday.

"And I felt the girls were so happy for me. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today as they inspire me everyday in training. I can’t believe this happened and I’m so happy with where the sport has gone this last couple of