Japan's Kokomo Murase flips to gold in big air

Kokomo Murase of Japan has upgraded her bronze medal from four years ago to a gold on Monday, winning the women's snowboarding big air contest at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics by unleashing impressive aerial tricks high above the Italian Alps.

The 21-year-old held off challenges from Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand, who claimed her second consecutive silver medal in the contest. Yu Seung-eun of South Korea earned bronze in the event, staged at night on the mountains in the northern Italian town of Livigno under bright floodlights.

Murase placed a hand to her face and cried when she realised she snagged the gold. She waved and smiled when she took the top spot on the podium. Yu held out her camera, and the three posed for a selfie with their new Olympic hardware around their necks.

The Big Air event features riders launching off a jump and performing an aerial trick involving flips, spins, and twists in various directions.

Monday's medalists pushed boundaries with advanced jumps and smooth landings. Murase's final run featured a backside triple 1440, a move that involves flipping upside down three times while spinning four full rotations.

Her win followed Japan's capture of gold and silver in the men's big air event on Saturday, a reflection of the country's growing dominance in the sport.

To claim the women's silver, Sadowski-Synnott, 24, rebounded from a disastrous first run with a botched landing. A strong second jump propelled her to first place, but she could not hang on to the lead in the face of Murase's prowess. Winners were determined by the best two scores out of three runs.

Yu earned the bronze in her Olympic debut at age 18. She said she was "a little bit scared" on her second jump because it was a trick she was attempting for the first time in the snow. "But I landed, and I was very excited," she said.

Two-time big air gold medallist Anna Gasser of Austria fell on her first two runs and finished eighth. The 34-year-old was unable to successfully match the advanced manoeuvres performed by the younger riders.

"Sometimes in sports, it is not your day," Gasser said. "Not landing those first two tricks clean, I knew the chances were over."