ZHANGJIAKOU, China – America is on the board with its first medal of the Beijing Olympics.
Julia Marino used a huge second run Sunday to win silver in women's snowboard slopestyle at Genting Snow Park, giving the United States its first medal of these Olympics.
Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand won the gold and Tess Coady of Australia took the bronze. It was the first ever gold medal won by New Zealand in the Winter Olympics.
After falling on her first run, Marino put down a clean second run capped off by a frontside double cork 1080 on the final jump to put herself in first. Her score of 87.68 held up for the lead until Sadowski Synnott's final run, which came in at 92.88 with a frontside double cork 1080 on her final jump.
As they waited for the final score for Sadowski Synnott to be announced, Marino and Coady embraced their fellow rider at the bottom of the run. "Zoi is an inspiration to all of us. She's the best rider right now," Marino told NBC after the competition. "She's making us all push our level. I love to share the podium with her."
Marino, 24, of Westport, Connecticut, was 11th in slopestyle at the 2018 Olympics and finished 10th in big air.
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Jamie Anderson, 31, took a crash in training and qualified in fifth. She finished ninth overall Sunday.
Sadowski Synnott, 20, had confidence coming into these Olympics, having swept the gold in slopestyle and big air at last month's X Games. With Sunday's victory, she became the first snowboarder to add an Olympic Games gold to a world and X Games title in less than a year.
She'll also be a favorite in big air when the competition begins Feb. 14. Sadowski Synnott won bronze in the event in 2018.
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