The countdown is on with less than six months until the Winter Olympics. While New Zealand’s snow sport stars are hard at work in the South Island, one name continues to make the loudest statement: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
The 24-year-old is back to full strength after an ankle injury sidelined her for much of 2024. Her comeback? Well, that's already delivered a world championship crown and now she’s eyeing more Olympic history.
Sadowski-Synnott has been back in Wānaka for nearly three months where preparations are meticulous. From punishing gym sessions, she’s just completed a build block and is now shifting to a push period which includes hours on the mountain. Every exercise and every session is all part of her master plan.
When 1News asked if she’s nailed down her tricks for the Games, she laughed it off. She’s keeping her cards close to her chest.
After all, she’s on a mission to defend her Olympic Slopestyle crown and upgrade her Beijing Big Air silver to gold.
“It’s getting a little bit stressful and the pressure’s building,” she admitted. “But it’s cool going into my third Olympics. There is a lot of pressure, but I love it.”
This year’s Northern Hemisphere season has been prolific. Dubbed the comeback season, doubts swirled over her return from injury. But her results silenced any scepticism. This year, she’s claimed World Cup wins, X Games gold, and her first ever slopestyle Crystal Globe which is awarded to the athlete with the most World Cup points at the end of the season.
Coach Sean Thompson says even he was surprised.
“She made it seem like she hadn’t been off. It was like there was no injury before it and she came back better than ever. What she did was just unreal,” he said.
With her sights set on Milan, training intensity has ramped up. Cardrona’s new T-bar has doubled her run volume allowing for twice the repetitions in each session.
“The days aren’t long but they’re high intensity,” Sadowski-Synnott explained. “I get down the hill and just sit on the couch for six hours after.”
Her coach says the focus now is clear: as many days on the mountain as possible, drilling tricks and maximising repetition.
While the athletes prepare, the Olympic venues are still being built. In Italy, both the slopestyle and big air courses remain under construction and there will be no test events before the Games. That means athletes like Sadowski-Synnott will be heading in blind.
“It’s kind of nerve-racking not knowing what the course ride's like,” she said. “But it’s also sick no one’s ridden it, so it’s a level playing field.”
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