Japanese are taking Olympic snowboarding to new heights

"At these Milan Cortina Games, that balance has clearly shifted, with Japan emerging as the world's deepest and most formidable snowboarding power, particularly on the men's side. In the early days of this Olympic competition, Japan has captured gold in both the men's and women's big air competitions, including Kokomo Murase's impressive victory Monday night. Japan now has three snowboarding medals in these Games, while the United States is still looking for its first podium visit at Livigno Snow Park."

"The transition has been years in the making. When snowboarding debuted at the Olympics in 1998, Japan was not a factor, while the United States began to establish itself as the sport's defining force. As the Olympic program expanded, adding new disciplines and attracting deeper international investment, more countries began to take snowboarding seriously. None has done so more thoroughly than Japan."

""I don't know what the hell happened, but they figured it out." At the center of that rise is Ayumu Hirano, one of the most accomplished snowboarders of his generation. Hirano won Olympic silver medals in the halfpipe as a teenager in 2014 and '18 before breaking through with gold at the 2022 Beijing Games, where he landed a triple cork that redefined the event's ceiling."

Japan has overtaken the United States as the leading snowboarding nation at the Milan Cortina Games, capturing golds in both men's and women's big air and totaling three medals. Kokomo Murase won women's big air Monday night while the United States remains without a podium at Livigno Snow Park. The shift grew after snowboarding's 1998 Olympic debut as the program expanded and international investment deepened. Japan invested thoroughly, producing standout riders. Ayumu Hirano transformed the halfpipe with a triple cork at Beijing 2022, won earlier Olympic silvers, remains a podium favorite despite injuries, and has influenced a younger generation including his brother Kaishu.

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