Mari Fukada won Japan’s fourth snowboarding gold of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday in the women’s slopestyle final. The 19-year-old Aichi Prefecture native, who posted a disappointing score on her first run, took the lead with her second, scoring 85.70 to leapfrog compatriot Kokomo Murase. She then extended her lead after landing a switch-backside 1260 mute, backside 720 mute and frontside 720 melon off the toes, scoring 87.83. Murase’s final attempt, which included a frontside triple cork 1260, gave her a score of 85.80. Defending champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott was then the last to go.

The New Zealander produced a clean run, leaving Fukada with an anxious wait. Her score of 87.48 was close, but not enough. Fukada, who finished ninth in the big air competition, was confirmed as the Olympic champion. It was Japan’s fifth gold of the Games — four in snowboarding, one in figure skating — equaling its record haul from the Nagano Games in 1998. With Murase also picking up a bronze, the nation now has 22 medals in total, extending the record it had already set earlier in these Games. The previous best was 18 in Beijing four years ago. 

Following her victory, Fukada said, “The switch-backside trick is something I’ve worked on, so I’m really happy I was able to land it here. I was really frustrated with my result in big air, so I switched my focus and reminded myself that slopestyle was still ahead. People around me encouraged me and told me I could do it, which gave me confidence.” Murase, who won the big air competition, felt like she had “delivered a perfect run that could win.” She was frustrated that she didn’t get the score she expected. Japan’s other finalist, Reira Iwabuchi, finished eighth. 

About Mari Fukada 

Born in Miyoshi in 2007, Fukada took up snowboarding when she was 7 after being influenced by her brother. She began frequenting a local outdoor jump facility in her teens, and was given some advice from coach Yasuhiro Sato that has always stuck with her. Practicing in terrible conditions, other riders started leaving the slopes. Fukada planned to do the same until Sato said, “You won’t improve if you don’t give your all at times like this.” According to the Japanese rider, her “way of thinking changed a lot from that point on.”

Fukada began entering competitions after watching Iwabuchi’s impressive performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. In 2022, she made a big splash by winning the FIS Big Air World Cup in Copper Mountain, USA. It was her first time competing in the event. Since then, she has racked up numerous podium spots. At last year’s FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships, she won a bronze in the big air event behind Murase and Iwabuchi, and finished fourth in the slopestyle competition. Her biggest triumph, though, came in Italy on Wednesday. At just 19, this could be the first of many Olympic medals.

Taiga Hasegawa Claims Silver in Men’s Slopestyle Final 

In the men’s slopestyle final, Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa finished second, winning his first ever Olympic medal. The 20-year-old, who finished 11th in the big air competition, combined a cab 1440 and 1620 mute grab with a variety of boardslides to score 82.13 on his first run. That was his best effort. China’s Su Yiming took home the gold, scoring 82.41 on his first run. The bronze went to America’s Jake Carter, with a best score of 79.36. Japan’s other finalist, Ryoma Kimata, finished 11th. Big air champion Kira Kimura bowed out in the qualifying round. 

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