Kokomo Murase won the women’s snowboarding big air gold Sunday at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado, in a 1-2 finish with Japanese compatriot Reira Iwabuchi.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic bronze medalist topped the podium with a total of 94.00 from her best two runs, finishing 19 points clear of Iwabuchi, winner of last year’s event. Austria’s Anna Gasser was third with 71.00.
Murase, 19, previously won the X Games big air crown as a 13-year-old in 2018, when she became the youngest winner in the event’s history.
X Games women’s snowboarding big air winner Kokomo Murase (C) stands on top of the podium alongside fellow Japanese runner-up Reira Iwabuchi (L) and third-place Anna Gasser of Austria in Aspen, Colorado, on Jan. 28, 2024. (Kyodo)
“It was exciting being able to relive that moment,” said Murase, who also took gold in the snowboard knuckle huck and silver in slopestyle in Aspen.
She broke new ground again in the latest big air contest, becoming the first woman to land a frontside 1440 in competition, as well as the first woman with three medals at the same X Games since 1997, according to organizers.
“It’s a different feeling than last time. I’m happy, while it also feels as though it’s been a long time,” she said.
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