OLYMPICS: Snowboard-Austria's Gasser advances in quest for third gold

LIVIGNO, Italy – Austria's Anna Gasser advanced through the women's Big Air qualifying round at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Sunday, keeping her hopes alive for a third consecutive gold medal.

Defending silver and bronze medalists Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand and Kokomo Murase of Japan also secured spots in the finals, setting up a high-powered showdown in Monday's medal contest in the Italian Alps.

All three athletes landed clean jumps at Livigno Snow Park, finishing in the top 12—the cutoff for advancement. The event took place at night, with the course illuminated by floodlights.

Sadowski-Synnott, 24, topped the qualifying rankings, narrowly ahead of 21-year-old Murase. Gasser, 34, ranked ninth.

"My strategy was to show some very clean runs," Gasser said. "But I have to say I got very nervous throughout the competition because all the ladies were riding so strong. I'm very happy I'm still in the top 12."

The Big Air event challenges riders to launch off a jump and perform aerial tricks involving flips, spins, and twists in multiple directions. Gasser previously claimed gold in 2018 and 2022.

Sadowski-Synnott expressed relief after qualifying, saying she was "stoked that the pressure's kind of off my shoulders" and ready to enjoy the finals.

Murase, one of four Japanese athletes advancing to the final, said she was confident after three successful runs. "I did very well today and performed the tricks I wanted," she said. The other Japanese finalists are Mari Fukada, Reira Iwabuchi, and Momo Suzuki.

In the men's Big Air on Saturday, Japan’s Kira Kimura and Ryoma Kimata won gold and silver, dethroning defending champion Su Yiming of China. -Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Giulia Segreti; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters