X Games: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott makes history; Luca Harrington claims unlikely gold

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won gold in the X Games women's slopestyle. Photo / Getty Images

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has claimed another X Games gold medal – adding her name to the history books in the process – while fellow Kiwi Luca Harrington picked up a gold medal in an event that, until the night prior, he wasn’t involved in.

Sadowski-Synnott, 23, stood on the top step of the podium in the women’s snowboard slopestyle at the event in Aspen, Colorado, posting a score of 94.66 in the first of her two attempts in the final.

That came as a result of a clean, varied run, capped off with a backside triple cork 1440 (three inverts and four full rotations) – making her the first athlete to land the trick in a women’s slopestyle competition.

After an ankle injury kept her from competing in the X Games last year, Sadowski-Synnott made a strong return with bronze in the women’s snowboard big air earlier in the week.

She backed that up by landing a trick no other athlete had stuck in a competition before in the slopestyle.

“Honestly, I didn’t know if I would ever be on the podium again, going through this injury. So to be back here, in the mix with the girls and be a part of the progression means so much to me,” Sadowski-Synnott said.

“To win this comp, I can’t even believe it.”

With the competition being decided on the best single-run score, Sadowski-Synnott’s second attempt became merely a training run and she posted a 64.33.

Japan’s Kokomo Murase (90.33) and Great Britain’s Mia Brookes (88.33) filled out the podium.

It was Sadowski-Synnott’s 11th X Games medal, with six of those coming in the slopestyle event in the form of five golds and a silver.

It was the first of two X Games gold medals for the New Zealand contingent on the day, with Harrington claiming an unlikely victory in the men’s ski slopestyle.

Harrington, who has made his mark in big air this season, was listed as an alternate for the X Games slopestyle event. It wasn’t until the night before it that he had confirmation of his place in the lineup.

That didn’t stop him from putting together a couple of dream runs on the Aspen slopes.

Harrington was the top qualifier from the playoff runs - which saw the top five riders advance into the final - with a counting score of 93.33. Harrington posted that with his second run in the playoffs, though his first run total of 85 would have ultimately been good enough to see him through to the finals as the fifth qualifier.

In the final, Harrington repeated the dose.

The 20-year-old from Wānaka again posted a counting score of 93.33 in the first of his two runs.

That was good enough for him to win the event, ahead of Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli (90.66) and America’s Mac Forehand (88.33).

“It’s been crazy. It’s been going back and forth through my mind all week. I’ve been so grateful to be able to train throughout the session with everyone and getting ready to go and be a competitor. I was not sure it was going to happen, then last night after my big air training I got the email saying I got in,” Harrington said.

“It was a pretty last-second call so I was super excited and had a hard time sleeping last night, honestly. I was just buzzing in my bed and today was incredible. I’m so grateful I managed to sneak into the start list.”

It’s the latest of a strong run of results for Harrington, who claimed back-to-back FIS world cup event wins in big air a few weeks ago.

“I’ve just been really working hard this season – or I guess the past few years. This season has started to pay off. I’ve started to get a bit more recognition, some higher results – those two back-to-back big air wins were incredible.

“It’s been insane. I didn’t really expect the season to go this way. I was just trying to do my best to get some good Olympic points, but I started getting a lot of confidence, and I think a lot of confidence in your skiing is what makes me perform better, so I think that was a big key to today.”