LIVIGNO, Italy — Anna Gasser set herself up for a chance at her third straight Olympic snowboarding gold medal in big air. She'll have to overcome another gold medalist, defending slopestyle champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, to win it.
Sadowski-Synnott, the New Zealander who finished second to Gasser in big air in 2022, won Sunday night's big air qualifier with 172.25 points from her best two jumps.
Kokomo Murase, the 2022 bronze medalist, was second with 171.25 and led a contingent of four Japanese riders to reach Monday's final of 12.
The 34-year-old Gasser cut it a little closer than she would have liked in qualifying. The two-time champion only managed to place ninth among the field of 29 with a score of 159.50.
''I have to say I got very nervous throughout the competition because all the ladies were riding so strong, and I'm very happy I'm still in the top 12, and I get a chance to ride in finals tomorrow,'' Gasser said.
''So at the end of the day it all worked out, but I for sure don't like the feeling of being close to that bubble.''
The Austrian has long been known as one of the biggest jumpers in snowboarding and has won both big air contests since the event was put into the Olympics in 2018.
When snowboard racer Ester Ledecka was eliminated in the parallel giant slalom races earlier Sunday at the Livigno Snow Park, it gave Gasser a chance at history: No snowboarder has won three straight gold medals in the same event over the sport's 28-year history at the Games.
