Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: The rise of Zoi Sadowski-Synnott

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won New Zealand's first Winter Olympics gold medal. Photo / Photosport

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has already cemented her place in history.

In 2018, she became just the second New Zealander to claim a medal at the Winter Olympics when she earned a bronze in the snowboard big air. Now, she's New Zealand's first gold medallist at the Winter Games and the country's only multiple Winter Olympic medallist.

After topping the field in the slopestyle contest, Sadowski-Synnott added another medal to her fast-growing collection, following gold in both slopestyle and big air at the X Games in Aspen last month.

Still just 20 years old, Snow Sport New Zealand chief executive Nic Cavanagh said it was clear she had the world at her feet when she joined their elite programme.

"Zoi's really just lit up the world in the last two years with her snowboarding and she delivered on that potential and really fulfilled that by winning the gold medal," Cavanagh told Newstalk ZB.

"I might just refer to (free skier) Nico Porteous and his reference to Zoi - 'she's a weapon'. The ability for her to get out there and hit all those massive features and do it with such style and such ease, and really take snowboarding to the next level, hands down to her.

"She's the best snowboarding female, probably on the globe, there has ever been, so much credit to her."

Sadowski-Synnott had to work hard and feel the peak of Olympic pressure in Sunday's final. As the last athlete on the start list, her final run brought a close to the event and was always set up to decide where she would finish.

Needing to drop something higher than an 87.68 to surpass American Julia Marino, Sadowski-Synnott stepped up to the challenge and had the last say with a 92.88 to claim the gold.

Cavanagh credited the team working alongside Sadowski-Synnott for their part in helping her reach her potential, noting the three key ingredients in her development have been the fact she is clearly a world-class athlete, the input from her team (coaches, physio, nutritionist, doctor) and the local resorts such as Cardrona opening their doors to the local talent.

Sadowski-Synnott's coach Sean Thompson said the plan going into the event was to post a formidable score on her first run so she had room to move in the second and third. Her first run score of 84.51 would have been good enough for the silver had she failed to top Marino on her final run.

"She nailed the plan, as she does," Thompson told Newstalk ZB.

"I knew she had it in her. I was quite confident in that one. It was a crazy moment. Definitely nervous but I was quietly confident that she had it in her to do that run. It's what she's been working super hard at over the last few years and I knew she could nail it. She totally did, and put some flair on it too."