New Zealand snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has defended her X Games slopestyle title with a come-from-behind victory in Aspen, Colorado this morning.
Sitting in second place going into the final run of the contest, Sadowski-Synnott pulled off a smooth and breathtakingly easy run that saw her jump up the standings and take the gold.
The 21-year-old took a moment at the top of the slope to collect her thoughts before dropping in, and started strongly with a brilliantly executed 50-50 rail transfer.
The rest of the rail section went smoothly, and she was flawless through the jump section, rounding her run off with a perfect switch backside 900.
The judges were blown away and awarded her the title. Australia's Tess Coady won silver, while Japan's Kokomo Murase won bronze.
After snatching the gold, Sadowski-Synnott said she couldn't believe it.
"It could've gone any way today. Everyone was absolutely ripping and I'm so stoked for Tess and Koko and proud of what we were able to do in these conditions.
"I'm so stoked to put [the run] down."
The gold medal is Sadowski-Synnott's fifth at X Games.
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