Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Tops Big Air Qualifying at Winter Olympics 2026

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s airborne leap has a subtly captivating quality, akin to a drawn breath maintained steady until gravity yields.

Her first run at Livigno Snow Park set the tone for the Olympic Big Air qualifying. Her performance was superbly timed and extremely technical, with a flawless switchback 1260. The same score of 90.00 was awarded to her by all six judges. Not only was it amazing, but the message it sent was also powerful. She was not present to endure the round. Setting the bar was her purpose.

By the end of the second and third rounds, Zoi had amassed 172.25 thanks to her extra 82.25 points, which was barely enough to defeat Kokomo Murase of Japan, who made a valiant chase with 171.25. Murase’s runs, which were noticeably better than in her previous career, put the pressure on Zoi, but she never appeared shaken.

That calmness is not new. Ever since her adolescent breakthrough at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, it has been growing. However, in recent times, it has acquired a refined quality—a stillness that implies experience rather than merely skill. She is no longer a surprise contender when riding. She rides like the benchmark that is expected.

The way she handles the limelight is what makes her rise even more fascinating. Even though she has won three Olympic medals and is one of the most well-known winter athletes in New Zealand, she conducts interviews with humility, using a cool, collected tone. After qualifying, she told Sky Sport, “I was nervous going into tonight.” “To put it down and get through it makes me very happy.” Her candor was especially welcome in a sport that tends to reward bluster.

Zoi has gone from phenom to anchor at the age of 24. As one of the co-flagbearers of New Zealand, she now literally carries the flag, but she also serves as the spokesperson for her sport back home. Without much fanfare, she chooses to be thoughtfully consistent. Her presence doesn’t call for notice. It’s earned.

Zoi’s ability to stay focused under duress has earned her a reputation as being incredibly dependable. Throughout the preliminaries, she remained true to herself as other riders faltered or over-rotated in an attempt to achieve perfection. Her landings were spotless. Her demeanor was composed. She seemed to be setting the pace rather than responding to it for the entire session.

As I watched from the media deck, I couldn’t help but silently admire her ability to strike a balance between control and risk. High-stakes flair is how some athletes launch their careers, but Zoi appears to thrive on knowing when to push and when to land. It has taken years to perfect this rhythm.

Her method seems especially creative in the context of Olympic-level snowboarding, where every run is a tightrope walk between genius and bruising. With deliberate grace, she spins, lands, and carves, bringing the precision of an engineer to the medium of art. It’s an educational style as well as an entertaining one.

More noteworthy than her skill is the way she embodies a larger change in snowboarding culture. For many years, the dominant male competitors on the podium and in the spotlight dominated the sport’s narrative. Zoi has changed that plot in a subtle yet believable way. By continuously producing performances worthy of medals and coaching up-and-coming riders like Lucia Georgalli, she is subtly altering public opinion.

This time, Georgalli, who is only 19 years old and had her Olympic debut in Milano Cortina, missed the finals. After a strong opening run, she found it difficult to find rhythm and ended up in 25th place. Nevertheless, it speaks something that she is competing. Zoi has a door open. There are more people starting to pass through.

Zoi has increased her influence and kept her advantage by being well-prepared. She has added silver medals from the X Games, improved her backcountry skills, and maintained her impressive performance in key contests over the last few seasons. She continues to be really effective on the snow in every way.

A portion of this can be attributed to her close collaboration with sponsors such as Burton and Monster Energy. However, it also demonstrates how she handles her personal brand. Her Instagram never seems to be curated for performance, even though it has a large following. Training videos, unguarded moments, and expressions of gratitude are all mixed together. She connects with her fans in large part because of her authenticity.

When competitions slowed and training alternatives were scarce during the pandemic, Zoi’s tenacity was evident. During that period, she recuperated, re-calibrated, and returned with fresh fire. It is particularly uncommon in high-performance sports to have the ability to reset without losing momentum. It’s what sets winners apart from finalists.

Her form and score from her second qualifying run were matched in her third and final run. That could be interpreted as being cautious by some. It was a clever calibration, I would say. She reinforced her lead, which she had already secured, rather than taking the chance of needless harm. Impulse is frequently defeated by discipline in high-stakes situations.

Global attention will be focused on the Big Air final in the days ahead. Anna Gasser and Mia Brookes, among others, will be fierce competitors. However, Zoi’s actions are more fundamental; she has cemented herself at the top via constancy rather than show. Others are probably going to follow that model.

By preserving her equilibrium on all levels—physical, mental, and emotional—Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is demonstrating that elite athletics doesn’t always require loudness to be effective. Grace can sometimes be more powerful than volume.