At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Japanese snowboarder Kira Kimura won gold and teammate Ryoma Kimata took silver in the men's big air final. China's defending champion Su Yiming settled for bronze. The result highlights Japan's growing dominance in snowboarding.
On February 8, 2026, in Livigno, Italy, at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, 21-year-old Japanese snowboarder Kira Kimura secured gold in the men's big air final with a total score of 179.50 points. Teammate Ryoma Kimata, 23, earned silver with 171.50 points, while China's Su Yiming, the defending champion and also 21, took bronze with 168.50.
Kimura dropped to fourth after stumbling on the landing of his second run but rallied with a switch backside 1980 (five-and-a-half rotations) mute grab on his final attempt, scoring 90.50 points to surge ahead. "It was a dream I've had since I was little," Kimura told reporters. Kimata, who won the world championship in big air last year, said, "I gave it 120%. I have no regrets."
Su attempted a technical spin on his first run but fell on his second, hurting his title defense chances. "I'm happy to have every color of Olympic medals now," Su said, referencing his silver in slopestyle at Beijing 2022.
Japan qualified four riders for the final, the most of any nation, underscoring the team's depth. Fellow Japanese athletes Taiga Hasegawa finished 11th, and Hiroto Ogiwara placed 12th. The big air event involves launching off a 40-meter ramp for aerial tricks under nighttime floodlights, with competitors' best two of three jumps counting toward the score.
This one-two finish marks Japan's first Olympic gold and silver in big air, building on their halfpipe success. Both Kimura and Kimata are set to compete in slopestyle starting February 16, with Kimura adding, "Of course, I'll aim for gold there too." The result signals potential for more medals in snowboarding events ahead.