ASPEN, Colo., Jan. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Way to
kick off the most epic weekend in winter action sports! Monster
Energy congratulates its team of freeski and snowboard athletes on
a strong performance on the first day of X Games Aspen 2022. On day
one of the 25th edition of Winter X Games, Monster Energy riders
claimed a total of 8 medals (1 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze) across
five contest events at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass, Colorado.
The medal run started in the Jeep Women's Snowboard Slopestyle
final, where 20-year-old Zoi
Sadowski-Synnott from Wanaka, New
Zealand, took the win with a history-making run featuring
double cork 1080 rotations in both directions. She was joined on
the podium by snowboard icon Jamie
Anderson from South Lake Tahoe,
California, in second place. Anderson is now tied for most
all-time medals in Winter X Games history at 20 medals overall and
will also be competing in Saturday's Women's Snowboard Big Air
event.
The podium storm continued with newly minted Monster Energy
athlete Megan Oldham from
Parry Sound, Canada rising to
silver medal position in the Women's Ski Big Air contest. In the
creative Wendy's Snowboard Knuckle Huck, 18-year-old Dusty Henricksen from Mammoth Lakes, California, took bronze with
mind-boggling tricks under the floodlights. Next, the epic Women's
Ski SuperPipe showdown saw 32-year-old Brita Sigourney from Carmel, California, clinch the silver medal
with a powerful run. Following closely on her heels, 17-year-old
Monster Army rider Hanna Faulhaber
took bronze in her X Games debut.
Capping off an action-filled Friday on Buttermilk Mountain,
23-year-old Ayumu Hirano from
Murakami, Japan, took home the
silver medal in the Monster Energy Men's Snowboard SuperPipe final.
In a major upset, his younger brother Kaishu Hirano rose all the way to bronze medal
position in his X Games debut.
X Games Aspen 2022 marks the 21st
consecutive competition at the high-profile resort in the heart of
the Rocky Mountains. Supported by Monster Energy as the official
energy drink partner of X Games, this year's event includes 100 of
the world's best action sports athletes competing for a total of 42
medals across 14 disciplines. The three-day spectacle features
Men's and Women's Ski and Snowboard competitions in the disciplines
of Slopestyle, Big Air, SuperPipe, and the innovative Knuckle Huck,
alongside Special Olympics Unified competitions.
After allowing only athletes and staff last year, X Games Aspen
2022 welcomes spectators back to competition viewing and X Fest
areas amid stringent COVID-19 safety protocols. This weekend
features fan activations, a festival village and DJ performances
such as Illenium on Friday night. ESPN and ABC are broadcasting
13.5 hours of live competition, with 7.5 additional hours streamed
live on @XGames digital channels, and all 21 hours live via the
ESPN App.
Here's how the action unfolded for team Monster Energy on day
one of X Games Aspen 2022:
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle: Monster Energy's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Takes Victory, Jamie
Anderson Earns Silver as 20th Career X Games Medal
Setting off this year's Winter X Games on Buttermilk Mountain,
the Jeep Women's Snowboard Slopestyle final featured eight of the
world's best freestyle snowboarders. The diverse field of riders
hailed from Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New
Zealand, and the United
States.
In a 35-minute jam session, riders were looking to post the
highest-scoring run on the Snowpark Technologies-designed course.
As a true test of well-rounded riding skills, the downhill obstacle
course featured a plethora of rails and jib obstacles at the top,
leading into three consecutive jumps as the finish.
As the jam session got underway, a fresh wave of snowfall
created slightly challenging conditions. But the riders, including
defending X Games slopestyle gold medalist and Monster Energy
athlete Jamie Anderson put on a
spectacular showcase for the high-energy crowd in Aspen.
As the reigning FIS Slopestyle World Champion, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from Wanaka, New Zealand, dropped in with a score to
settle. At X Games Aspen 2021, the 20-year-old snowboard phenom
walked away with the silver medal behind teammate Jamie Anderson. This year, the Kiwi ripper who
already took first place at Dew Tour Copper Mountain 2021, set her
sights on making history with a run that would feature 1080
rotations in both directions. Could she do it?
Turns out, she could. On her second run in the final,
Sadowski-Synnott put down the history-making run no rider had
landed before: In the rail section, she landed switch 270 on
frontside boardslide, switch boardslide 270 pretzel and a technical
frontside blunt 450 out. Sadowski-Synnott then barged into the jump
section with a switch backside 900 mute followed by frontside
double cork 1080 melon and a perfectly stomped backside double cork
1080 on the final hit for the win.
"The win means so much to me! Everyone was absolutely ripping,
that was the sickest contest I've ever been part of," said
Sadowski-Synnott upon winning Women's Snowboard Slopestyle gold at
X Games Aspen 2022. "I've been working on this new jump combo for
the whole year and I'm super happy to be able to put it down."
Friday's slopestyle victory marks the third X Games win in the
discipline for Sadowski-Synnott, bringing her overall count to six
X Games medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze). In 2021, the young
rider defended her slopestyle title in the 2021 FIS World Snowboard
Championships in Aspen. The
previous year, her breakout season won 'Rookie of the Year' honors
in the 2020 Snowboarder Magazine Awards. As a rookie pro,
Sadowski-Synnott made history by winning Slopestyle bronze at the
2018 PyeongChang Olympics, ending New
Zealand's 26-year medal drought and becoming a national
hero.
Sadowski-Synnott was joined on the podium by her Monster Energy
teammate, 31-year-old snowboard icon Jamie
Anderson from South Lake Tahoe,
California. Known as the most-decorated female X Games
athlete, Anderson was looking for a threepeat after claiming
back-to-back slopestyle gold at X Games Aspen 2020 and 2021.
But as the action in the final intensified with several riders
posting flawless runs, the 'Queen of Slopestyle' was facing
difficulty putting a perfect line together. On her first two runs,
the two-time Olympic gold medalist struck out early with
uncharacteristic falls. Which ultimately made her comeback that
much sweeter…
On her third run, Anderson put together a flawless routine
starting in the rail section with a backside lipslide fakie on the
down-flat kink rail, Caballerial boardslide 270 out and gap
backside boardslide 270 sameway. She then attacked the jumps by
ways of frontside double cork 1080 mute, backside rodeo 540 melon,
and blasted a Caballerial double cork 1080 Indy on the final hit.
And like that, Anderson bumped back from eight place into a strong
second-place finish!
Friday's silver medal ties Anderson with Canadian snowboarder
Mark McMorris for earning the most
Winter X Games medals of all time at 20 medals (8 gold, 8 silver, 4
bronze). She will have another chance to medal in Saturday's
Women's Snowboard Big Air event, where she drops in as the
defending gold medalist from Aspen
2021. Recognized as a trailblazer of the sport, Anderson won the
inaugural snowboard slopestyle competition at the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi, Russia and took
gold in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She is set to represent the
USA at the 2022 Beijing Winter
Olympics.
Finishing closely off the podium, 17-year-old Kokomo Murase from Gifu, Japan, walked away with a solid fourth-place
finish. On her first run, the Japanese rookie stoked the crowd with
a flawless run featuring frontside lipslide pretzel, 270 on
boardslide 270 off, and switch boardslide 270 in the rails,
followed by frontside 900 melon, switch backside 900 mute and
frontside 900 tailgrab. Ultimately, Murase wanted to raise the
difficulty by adding a backside 1080 to her routine but was unable
to get a clean landing.
Entering X Games Aspen 2022 as the youngest female competitor,
Murase already ranges among the world's top contenders. The young
snowboard phenom made history at X Games Norway 2018 as the first
girl to land a 1260 double cork in competition and became the
youngest Winter X Games athlete ever to win a gold medal at age 13.
She currently owns 5 X Games medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze).
Watch out for Murase in Big Air on Saturday!
Women's Ski Big Air: Monster Energy's Megan Oldham Takes Home the Silver Medal
As the action continued on Friday, the focus remained on female
riders in the Women's Ski Big Air final. Eight riders competed in
the 30-minute jam session, looking to build a score composed of the
two highest-rated tricks. Countries represented in the high-stakes
final included Canada,
France, Switzerland, and the
United States.
The high-energy crowd on Buttermilk Mountain celebrated every
move as riders sent their best aerials over the 70-feet long gap
obstacle. But with constant snow creating challenging visual
conditions as well as problems building sufficient speed for
high-rotation moves, it took nerves and consistency to prevail.
Dropping in as the Big Air silver medalist from X Games Aspen
2021, 20-year-old Megan Oldham
proved that she has the bag of tricks and consistency to rise to
the podium. After setting the foundation for a high score by
landing a difficult leftside double cork 1260 safety grab (45
points), she followed up strategically by landing a rightside 900
tail grab (29 points) to climb into the lead position.
But as the session intensified, Oldham found herself leapfrogged
by French rider Tess Ledeux who clinched first place by landing a
double cork 1620. Although Oldham proceeded to land a clean
rightside double cork 1260 safety grab (44 points) to bring her
score to 89.00 points overall, she walked away with a strong
silver-medal finish.
After taking the silver medal in Women's Ski Big Air on Friday,
Oldham now owns four X Games medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)
from four X Games appearances. Despite her young age, the
Ontario native already holds an
FIS Freeski World Cup Crystal Globe. She made history as the first
female Canadian athlete to earn a podium finish at X Games by
claiming Women's Ski Big Air gold at Norway 2020.
Finishing just a few points outside a podium spot, Monster
Energy's Maggie Voisin from
Whitefish, Montana, returned from
injury to battle the world elite at X Games Aspen 2022. In the
high-pressure final, the 23-year-old started her run by stomping a
perfect leftside double cork 1260 (39 points). On her fifth and
final attempt, Voisin landed a leftside rodeo 900 safety grab (31
points) for a total score of 70.00 points and fourth place.
As part of Team USA, Voisin
currently holds seven X Games medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze).
After recent podiums at FIS World Cup events, will also compete in
the Slopestyle discipline on Saturday, in which she holds two gold
medals (X Games Aspen 2018, Norway
2020). Voisin is currently the only American female skier to win
the Slopestyle discipline at X Games. Stay tuned!
Wendy's Snowboard Knuckle Huck: Monster Energy's Dusty
Henricksen Takes Bronze
As the sun set over Buttermilk Mountain, the crowd was treated
to a unique showcase of snowboard progression. In the creative
Wendy's Snowboard Knuckle Huck event, eight riders took turns
'hucking' their most stylish and technical maneuvers off the Big
Air ramp's roll-over, also called the 'knuckle'.
The rider to beat was 18-year-old Dusty
Henricksen from Mammoth Lakes,
California, who dropped in as the defending champion. At X
Games Aspen 2021, the American snowboard prodigy made a clear
statement by taking double X Games gold in Knuckle Huck and
Slopestyle as a rookie.
Heading into the session, Henricksen unleashed a trick that
earned him 2021's medal: Sliding a Half Cab tail press nosegrab
over the edge of the knuckle, straight into a front flip down
below. As other riders unveiled their progressive moves, Henricksen
stayed on top of his game by landing a stylish Half Cab nose butter
rodeo 720 that had the crowd on its feet. For his final move on Run
5, the Team USA rider upped the
ante by spinning a Half Cab tail press into a double front flip(!)
for the bronze medal.
Friday night's bronze brings Dusty
Henricksen's X Games medal count to 3 medals (2 gold, 1
bronze). At X Games Aspen 2021, the snowboard phenom became the
first snowboard rookie to take home double gold and also the first
American to win Slopestyle since Shaun
White in 2009. Henricksen will represent the United States at the Beijing Winter
Olympics and also competes in Slopestyle at X Games Aspen 2022 on
Saturday.
Women's Ski SuperPipe: Monster Energy's Brita Sigourney Rises to
Silver-Medal Finish, Rookie Hana Faulhaber Earns Bronze in X Games
Debut
Next, a spectacular air show unfolded under the lights in the
highly anticipated Women's Ski SuperPipe final. In the 35-minute
jam session, eight of the world's best vertical snowboarders were
looking to post the highest-scoring run.
The center of the action was the legendary SuperPipe on
Buttermilk Mountain with its 22-feet walls and 570 feet in overall
length. The exuberant crowd celebrated outstanding performances by
X Games rookies and veterans in a down-to-the-wire final.
When all was said and done, 32-year-old Brita Sigourney from Carmel, California, soared all the way into
second place with a highly technical run in her twelfth X Games
performance. Cheered on by the spectators, the Olympic bronze
medalist took the silver medal on her final run, stringing together
huge leftside 900 tail grab, alley-oop mute grab, leftside 1080
safety, alley-oop switch 360 Japan, leftside 540 and rightside
corked 720 on the final hit.
Friday night's silver medal brings Sigourney's X Games record to
5 medals overall (3 silver, 2 bronze). She made history as the
first woman to land a 1080 in halfpipe competition in 2012. She
earned bronze in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and will represent
Team USA for the third time at the
Olympics in Beijing this
February.
One of Sigourney's toughest competitors was Monster Army rider
and X Games rookie Hanna Faulhaber
from Basalt, Colorado. Throughout
the high-energy final, the 17-year-old Team USA rider had the crowd on her side by
blasting the highest aerials of the entire night in her first time
competing at X Games.
Fresh off winning the 2021/2022 U.S. National Championship in
Women's Ski Pipe, Faulhaber navigated the SuperPipe at Aspen with amplitude and technical tricks. In
her best run of the final, the hometown hero blasted a stylish tail
grab aerial at over 18-feet high, followed by back-to-back leftside
and rightside flairs, big leftside mute 720, switch rightside 360
and a massive leftside 900 safety grab on the final wall for the
bronze medal.
Following her successful X Games debut, Faulhaber will represent
the United States at the 2022
Beijing Winter Olympics. The young phenom already claimed second
place at the FIS World Cup event in Calgary, Canada, in early 2022. In
December 2021, the young US Ski Team
barged into the spotlight with a breakout performance, finishing in
third place Dew Tour Copper.
Also putting on a strong showing in the final, Vermont native and X Games veteran
Devin Logan rose to the occasion. In
her eleventh X Games, the 28-year-old freeski icon landed a perfect
run including a leftside 900, huge rightside flair, rightside 540,
leftside 720 and switch 540 on the final wall for a strong fifth
place finish. Logan already owns two X Games medals (1 silver, 1
bronze) and won silver in Olympic slopestyle at the 2014 Winter
Olympics in Sochi. On Friday, she announced that this would be her
final X Games.
Monster Energy Men's Snowboard SuperPipe: Monster Energy's
Ayumu Hirano Takes Silver Medal,
Younger Brother Kaishu Hirano Bronze in X Games Debut
Saving the best for last, the Monster Energy Men's Snowboard
Halfpipe final stoked the capacity crowd on Buttermilk Mountain
with a showdown for the history books. The eight-rider final,
featuring athletes from Australia,
Japan, and the United States, boiled down to a duel
between two athletes: Australia's
Scotty James and 23-year-old Monster
Energy rider Ayumu Hirano from
Murakami, Japan.
Previous to competing at Aspen
this weekend, Hirano had been on a winning streak that included
first place in the FIS World Cup at Mammoth Mountain, first place
at the iconic LAAX OPEN in Switzerland as well as the 2021/22 FIS World
Cup Crystal Globe Trophy in Men's Snowboard Halfpipe. The energetic
crowd was in for a battle as the Japanese phenom started trading
high-caliber halfpipe runs with James.
In his best run of the final, Hirano perfectly put together
frontside double cork 1440 Indy, Cab double cork 1440 mute,
frontside double cork 1260 Indy, backside double cork 1260 mute and
frontside 1080 truck driver. But with James rising to the top of
the leaderboard after an ultra-technical run of his own, Hirano
needed a special response: He found it on his last run of the final
with his notorious frontside triple cork 1440, landed perfectly for
the first time in X Games competition history. But on the following
wall, he lost the handle on a Cab double 1440 and had to settle for
the silver medal in an epic showdown for the X Games history
books.
Friday night's silver medal brings Hirano's record to 4 X Games
medals (2 gold, 2 silver). At Dew Tour Copper Mountain in
December 2021, he landed the world's
first frontside triple cork 1440 in competition. He also owns two
Olympic silver medals in snowboard halfpipe (2014 and 2018). Hirano
won the 2019 Japanese National Championships in skateboard halfpipe
and competed in the Skateboard Park discipline, representing
Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Summer
Olympics.
In a major upset, Hirano was joined on the podium by a rookie:
No other than his 19-year-old brother Kaishu Hirano. Attacking the Aspen SuperPipe
with high speed, the younger Hirano opened by blasting a massive
method air at 19'4" on the first wall, followed by back-to-back
double cork 1080 and Cab 1080, frontside double cork 1260 mute and
backside mute 900 for the bronze medal. Amazing start for an X
Games rookie!
No stranger to high-profile competitions, Kaishu Hirano was a runner-up at the Youth
Olympic Games (YOG) in Lausanne 2020. He will be representing
Japan alongside his brother in the
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Stay tuned for more X Games Aspen 2022! Over the course of three
action-packed days, 13.5 hours of competitions from X Games Aspen
2022 will be broadcast live on ESPN and ABC, supplemented by live
coverage and behind-the-scenes content across digital X Games
properties. Fans can also follow the action on ESPN's online
streaming services, with select disciplines available on X Games
YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter, and all 21 hours of live
competitions streamed on the ESPN App. X Games Aspen 2022 will be
televised globally in 192 countries and territories to more than
500 million homes.
Download High Res Photos for Editorial Use.
Visit http://www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X
Games Aspen 2022 including photos, videos, and contest results as
they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter and TikTok for exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at
Buttermilk Mountain.
###
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California,
Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and
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Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross,
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SOURCE Monster Energy