Kiwi Snowboarders Soar with Silver Ahead of Olympics

New Zealand's winter sports stars are heading to the Olympics with serious momentum after a stellar showing at the X Games in Aspen.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, the 24-year-old snowboarder from Wānaka, grabbed silver in women's slopestyle with an impressive score of 93.00 on her final run. The reigning Olympic champion in the discipline landed a technical switch backside 1260 that launched her onto the podium, finishing just behind 19-year-old British sensation Mia Brookes.

Rather than dwelling on missing gold, Sadowski-Synnott celebrated the competition itself. "It's really cool. The girls all have their own style and creativity and they pushed me really hard," she said after the event.

She wasn't the only Kiwi celebrating in Aspen. Freeskier Luca Harrington, 21, claimed silver in men's big air, finishing behind American Mac Forehand. The world champion is preparing for his first Olympics next month and has established himself as a genuine medal threat.

Kiwi Snowboarders Shine With Silver Before Olympics

Why This Inspires

These silver medals tell a bigger story than second place finishes. Sadowski-Synnott made history at the 2022 Beijing Games when she won New Zealand's first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal. She also grabbed a big air silver at those same Games, helping lead her country to its best Winter Olympics performance ever with three total medals.

Now she's back, competing at the highest level and pushing herself against the next generation of talent. At 24, she could have rested on her historic achievement, but instead she's out there landing difficult tricks and embracing tough competition.

New Zealand is sending 17 athletes to the Milano Cortina Games, which run from February 6-22. The team includes snowboarders, freeskiers, and alpine skier Alice Robinson, all hoping to build on the success from Beijing.

These X Games results suggest that hope is well-founded. When your athletes are landing on podiums at major competitions just weeks before the Olympics, you know they're peaking at exactly the right time.