Kira Kimura in action during his second attempt in the men's snowboard big air final at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics on February 7 in Livigno, Italy. (©Marko Djurica/REUTERS)
Okayama native Kira Kimura triumphed in the men's snowboard big air final with the two highest-scoring runs on Saturday night, February 7 at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
On his first attempt, the 21-year-old received 89.50 points for a trick known as a 1980 backside melon. After tumbling on his second try, he was even better on his third run at Livigno Snow Park.
Kimura finished with 179.50 points to top the standings in the 12-man field.
The Olympic debutant became Japan's first gold medalist of the 2026 Games.
Teammate Ryoma Kimata grabbed the silver with 171.50 points, while China's Yiming Su, the 2022 Olympic champion, claimed the bronze with 168.50.
For Kimura, Saturday's triumph was the byproduct of dedication to his sport.
"I've devoted a lot of time to snowboarding this year," Kimura said, according to Reuters. "My family, coach and everyone around me gave me tremendous support. So I'm truly delighted to have achieved this result and prove the doubters wrong."
Joy and Frustration for the Silver Medalist
Kimata expressed mixed emotions after the event wrapped up.
"Having another Japanese rider beat me is frustrating, if I'm being honest," Kimata said, according to Kyodo News. "But at the same time, I don't think I could have ridden any better than that. Kira was incredible."
Kimata fell short of his ultimate goal, but he was pleased with his effort.
"At the end, I had no choice but to attempt a trick I had never done before, so I went for it," Kimata told reporters. "But it didn't work, I gave it 120%. I gave the result and my technique my absolute maximum. I'm delighted."
Also for Japan, Taiga Hasegawa placed 11th (100.50 points). Top qualifier Hiroto Ogiwara had three unsuccessful attempts and finished in last place (34.75).
The Path to Victory for Kira Kimura
As noted above, Kimura had a strong first try to set the tone for his gold medal-winning performance.
But he slipped on his second attempt, wiping out his momentum.
That put the pressure on Kimura.
There was redemption, however, as he aced his third run, completing a 1980 switch backside maneuver (more than five rotations) to secure the gold.
"On the second run, the moment I popped didn't quite click, and I couldn't land it properly," Kimura told reporters, according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation website. "But I managed to fix that, and the third run was clean, so that was good."
Kimura was the 2023-24 FIS Snowboard World Cup overall leader in the big air standings.
In the runup to the Winter Games, Kimura had back-to-back second-place finishes on the FIS Snowboard World Cup tour.
On Saturday, he recognized the need to challenge himself in order to fulfill his goal of becoming an Olympic champion.
Mission accomplished in the spinning, twisting spectacle.
Kimura said the training environment in Japan for prepared him to be to be a medal contender when he arrived in Italy.
"It's not only the winter season, it's the summer season, as well," Kimura said, according to The Associated Press. "We practice on the air bags. Our coaches are really good. We had a really good offseason, lots of preparation."
A Look Ahead
Kira Kimura will compete in the snowboard slopestyle event, which begins on February 16.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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