New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed silver in Wednesday's women's snowboard slopestyle, as the defending Olympic champion finished with 87.48 points — just 0.35 points short of a gold medal.
Japan's Mari Fukada won the event in her Olympic debut. The 18-year-old scored 87.83 on her third and final run, while Fukada's teammate Murase Kokomo took bronze with 85.80 points.
Sadowski-Synnott went last, saving her best performance for the crucial third run. The 24-year-old landed her tricks cleanly and jumped into second place with her closing effort. However, Fukada's earlier score held up for gold.
This marks Sadowski-Synnott's fifth Olympic medal across three Winter Games, tallying one gold, three silvers, and one bronze. The Wānaka resident became the first snowboarder in history to win five Olympic medals.
"What a special athlete and person," coach Tom Willmott said afterward. "Zoi is just amazing, and she does it time and time again."
Sadowski-Synnott qualified first for the final, posting 88.08 in the preliminary round after winning silver in this year's Big Air competition. The New Zealand Olympic Committee went on to name her Sportswoman of the Year at the Halberg Awards this week.
After winning slopestyle gold at Beijing 2022, Wednesday's silver extends Sadowski-Synnott's Olympic podium streak, as she remains one of the sport's most consistent performers on the biggest stage.
The three-peat quest of USA snowboarding star Chloe Kim is over, after a 90.25-point halfpipe performance from South Korea's Gaon Choi saw the 17-year-old overtake Kim to become the sport's youngest-ever Olympic gold medalist on Thursday.
Kim led for most of the event with a score of 88.00 points, until Choi — who nearly missed her second run after requiring a concussion check following a concerning first-run fall — stole the show with a dramatic, come-from-behind final run.
With one shot left, Kim's last run ended in a tumble, forcing the back-to-back gold medalist to settle for silver while Japan's Mitsuki Ono took bronze.
"A month ago I wasn't even sure if I would be here," Kim told reporters after the competition, referencing her recently dislocated shoulder. "I really worked so hard to get here, and so this medal means so much to me."
The 25-year-old didn't miss a beat after Choi — who calls Chloe Kim her "idol" — secured gold on Thursday, immediately celebrating with the young snowboarder whom she's mentored for years.
"I'm so proud of [Choi]," said Kim. "There's no one else I would have rather stood next to on the podium than her. I'm so proud of her, and I'm so excited to see what she does next."
Calling it "a full-circle moment," the snowboarding veteran is witnessing her legacy play out in real time — all while still securing hardware.
"It's all part of the sport — it's all about inspiring the next generation," Kim explained. "It's all about passing the torch."
Chloe Kim is looking to extend her already historic Olympic run by aiming for a gold-medal three-peat this week, with the USA snowboarding legend topping Wednesday's halfpipe qualifiers en route to the podium event on Thursday.
Kim, who became the youngest Olympic women's snowboarding champion when she won the halfpipe at 17 years old at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, made even more history as the event's first-ever two-time gold medalist with her 2022 win in Beijing.
Now, the eight-time X Games champ is well on her way to a third straight gold following her field-leading qualification round score of 90.25 points on Wednesday — blowing past second-place Japanese frontrunner Sara Shimizu's 87.50 total and fellow US star Maddie Mastro's 86-point third-place finish.
Even more impressive, Kim's elite performance comes just over one month after the star suffered a dislocated shoulder in training, an injury that initially raised questions about her ability to top the 2026 Olympic podium.
"Going into these Games, I felt really at ease and calm. I know what I'm here to do," Kim said after her Wednesday run. "That was a six out of 10, and we're going for a 10 tomorrow."
Should she win gold, the 25-year-old will become the first snowboarder, woman or man, to win three straight Winter Olympic titles — and just the 11th across all sports to pull off a three-peat in the same event.
How to watch snowboarder Chloe Kim in the Olympic halfpipe final
The women's halfpipe final starts at 1:30 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on NBC.
Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett was in Italy to watch snowboarder girlfriend Chloe Kim dominate the 2026 Winter Olympics halfpipe qualifiers on Wednesday, posting her winning run to Instagram as she advanced to Thursday's final.
Garrett shared footage of Kim's 90.25-point performance, with Kim subsequently topping the field by nearly three points over Japan's Sara Shimizu. The two-time defending Olympic gold medalist showed no signs of the torn labrum she suffered last month, successfully landing a risky inverted backside 720, massive switch straight air method, cab 1080 stalefish, frontside 900, and inverted indy 540.
"I got her whole run," Garrett said after the judges posted Kim's halfpipe score. "She's amazing."
Garrett and Kim confirmed their relationship last year when she attended a Browns game in November. The 2025 Defensive Player of the Year seems to be enjoying his offseason after breaking the league's single-season sack record last season.
Chloe Kim enters as US Olympic favorite — with Garrett by her side
The 25-year-old is shooting to become the first snowboarder to win Olympic gold at three consecutive Winter Games. She previously topped the halfpipe at PyeongChang 2018 at age 17, later defending her title at Beijing 2022 with a score of 94.00. No athlete has achieved a three-peat — not even legendary halfpipe star Shaun White, who won three non-consecutive golds in 2006, 2010, and 2018.
The Team USA superstar played the qualifying run conservatively, revealing only a few of the tricks expected to feature in her final routine.
"I've landed all the components of my finals run. I just haven't put them together," she said after Wednesday's first-place finish. "So I'll get to do it on the big day."
Myles Garrett will surely be watching on Thursday, as Kim chases history at the 2026 Winter Olympics women's halfpipe final.
Team USA will see 97 skiers and snowboarders representing the red, white, and blue in Milan next month, with US Ski & Snowboard tapping a wealth of veteran experience for the 2026 Winter Olympic roster on Thursday.
All-time winningest FIS World Cup skier Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in her fourth Winter Games, with the 30-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist hunting hardware in her preferred slalom event after failing to medal in Beijing in 2022.
At the same time, 41-year-old skier Lindsey Vonn is also mounting a dramatic comeback, participating in her fifth Olympics after winning multiple downhill medals on this season's World Cup circuit.
Also returning to the Olympic stage will be 25-year-old halfpipe star Chloe Kim, who is officially clear to return to competition after a recent shoulder dislocation put her Milan plans to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals in jeopardy.
Alongside the deep veteran talent on the roster, US Ski & Snowboard is sending 48 athletes to make their Olympic debuts next month, including 15-year-old halfpipe freestyle skiier Abby Winterberger and 20-year-old two-sport talent Sammy Smith.
Smith, a Stanford sophomore and starting defender for the 2025 College Cup runner-up Cardinal soccer team, will compete in cross-country skiing for Team USA in Milan.
Considering 15 of the 25 US Olympic medals at the 2022 Beijing Games came from ski and snowboarding, US snowboard program director Rick Bower noted that, "In many ways, making this team is even harder than [competing in] the Olympics themselves."
J.Crew is hitting the slopes with Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics, dropping a limited-edition retail collection in collaboration with US Ski & Snowboard this week.
The apparel giant tapped six members of Team USA to model the capsule, including 2018 and 2022 Olympic snowboarder Hailey Langland, 2018 Olympic mogul skier Tess Johnson, and freestyle skier Rell Harwood, who is aiming to make her Olympic debut this year.
The move comes after the brand announced a three-year deal with the winter sports' national governing body, with J.Crew signing on as an official partner of US Ski & Snowboard.
"We're proud to elevate the sport and its athletes at a moment when excitement around snow sports is higher than ever," said J.Crew Group CEO Libby Wadle.
Using themes, patterns, and patches from both the governing org's and J.Crew's historic archives, the inaugural 26-piece collection features knitwear, winter accessories, loungewear, and — in conjunction with US Ski & Snowboard partner Kappa — technical ski jackets.
With items for all ages, the capsule collection will not factor into Team USA's official Olympic uniform, but will provide retro "après-ski-style" flair for both athletes and fans.
How to purchase the Team USA x J.Crew Winter Olympics collection
The full US Ski & Snowboard collection from J.Crew will hit the retailer's online store on Thursday, though fans can sign up for the official drop notification today.
Women’s sports showed up and showed out at Monday’s Met Gala, trading sportswear for designer duds inspired by the event’s 2022 theme, “Gilded Glamour.”
Venus Williams walked the Met Gala red carpet in a custom Chloé tux. Hairstylist Nikki Nelms opted for a bedazzled look for the tennis star, while makeup artist Karina Milan continued the beaded theme, creating a statement eye to tie the look together.
It's easy to ID who's wearing Chloé tonight. Just look for the fabulous #MetGala attendees in sunglasses and chic tailoring like Venus Williams. See more red carpet arrivals here: https://t.co/REM5NhoYbx pic.twitter.com/KeUKU2bxjv
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) May 3, 2022
Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim also made an appearance, wearing a feathered Giambattista Valli gown. The red and white ensemble was complemented the athlete’s bold red lip.
Olympic gold medalist and snowboarder Chloe Kim goes big for her #MetGala debut in a feathered tulle ballgown. See more of tonight's red carpet arrivals here: https://t.co/doi1EEICrj pic.twitter.com/PA8SKsof0X
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) May 2, 2022
Retired tennis star Caroline Wozniacki donned a playful Christian Siriano cut-out dress with puffed blue sleeves. The 31-year-old walked the red carpet with her husband, David Lee, with whom she welcomed a baby girl last June.
Caroline Wozniacki attends The 2022 #MetGala #MetGala2022 pic.twitter.com/5QLMVhBeD5
— #MetGala (@21metgala) May 2, 2022
Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu attended the Met Gala after a banner Beijing Games. The skier opted for an edgy leather mini dress by Louis Vuitton paired with knee-high boots.
Eileen Gu attends The 2022 #MetGala pic.twitter.com/1HMKAFWlmZ
— #MetGala (@21metgala) May 3, 2022
Chloe Kim is taking a break from snowboarding. The 22-year-old told Cheddar that she plans to take a full season off from the sport.
The Olympic star won’t be hanging up her snowboard for good, though. Kim made it clear that an Olympic three-peat is still on her mind.
“Just for my mental health,” Kim said. “Just want to kind of reset, don’t want to get right back into it after such a fun but draining year at the same time, knowing that it was an Olympic year.”
Kim took home gold in the halfpipe competition at the 2022 Beijing Games in February, blowing out the competition with a score of 94 to defend her 2018 Olympic title.
“So, I just want to enjoy this moment, take it all in and then get back to it when I’m feeling ready. But as of now the plan is most definitely to go after a third medal,” Kim said.
The American snowboarder is no stranger to stepping away from the sport. She took a 22-month hiatus to attend Princeton before returning to the halfpipe and making an undefeated run up to the 2022 Winter Games.
If Kim returns for the 2026 Olympics, she will look to become the first woman to earn three snowboarding gold medals.
Three former athletes and a former employee of U.S. Ski and Snowboard have accused longtime coach Peter Foley of sexual misconduct, ESPN reported.
The four women contacted the U.S. Center for SafeSport last week with their complaints. One of the athletes, an unnamed Olympic medalist, said she was sexually assaulted by Foley at training camp when she was 19.
Foley, who already was being investigated after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged during the Olympics in February, no longer works for U.S. Ski and Snowboard, the organization announced Sunday. He had coached for U.S. Ski and Snowboard since its founding in 1994.
A lawyer for Foley denied the allegations to ESPN and said Foley will cooperate with the investigation.
Former Team USA snowboarder Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, who competed at the 2010 Winter Games, said in a series of Instagram posts in February that Foley had “taken naked photos of female athletes for over a decade” and had made a sexually explicit comment about her to another woman in 2014.
Chythlook-Sifsof’s posts were published while Foley was in Beijing coaching at his seventh Olympics in Beijing.
The former Olympian who accused Foley of sexual assault had told just one relative about the experience until she saw Chythlook-Sifsof’s Instagram posts.
The athlete said she was asleep in a hotel room she shared with several training camp participants when Foley got into bed behind her, “reached his left arm over my body and put his fingers inside me.”
Lindsey Sine Nikola, who worked for U.S. Ski and Snowboard from 2006-10, also filed a complaint against Foley. She says he coerced her into taking nude photos and later sexually assaulted her at a World Cup ski race in 2008.
“My hope is this can be part of normalizing reporting abuse and for anyone who might be out there with an experience like this to feel more empowered to come forward,” Nikola told ESPN. “I know there are probably still people who will think that people like me bear responsibility in instances like this, but I am not responsible for a man assaulting me after I clearly and repeatedly said no.”
Lindsey Jacobellis won another gold medal on Friday in the mixed snowboard cross event with partner Nick Baumgartner. Their coach, meanwhile, is under investigation after a former Olympics athlete accused him of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior.
Former Team USA snowboarder Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, a member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic team, detailed the allegations against coach Peter Foley in a series of Instagram posts. In them, she said that Foley has “taken naked photos of female athletes for over a decade” and made a sexually explicit comment to her about another woman in 2014.
“Other athletes have in engaged in racist, misogynist behavior, actively participated in the strange dynamics that Peter Foley created and caused female athletes/staff to be victims of sexual violence,” Chythlook-Sifsof wrote.
Also named in Chythlook-Sifsof’s post was Hagen Kearney, a snowboarder who she says repeatedly used the n-word and made rape jokes about female members on the team.
“I cannot watch another Olympic Games without saying this publicly,” Chythlook-Sifsof continued, tagging Kearney, Foley and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team.
The posts were removed three times for violating Instagram’s “guidelines on nudity or sexual activity” and “bullying or harassment.” Chythlook-Sifsof reposted the messages to her Instagram story, and the original posts have since been reinstated.
“U.S. Ski & Snowboard has been made aware of the recent allegations,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “We take these allegations very seriously and the allegations are being investigated.”
The organization added: “The concerns regarding Hagen [Kearney] were dealt with at the time and appropriate action was taken.”
Friday’s mixed snowboard cross event was the first since the allegations surfaced. Foley, who has served as head coach of the U.S. snowboard team since its founding in 1994, denied them in an interview after the competition.
“I’m super surprised by the allegations and I vehemently deny the allegations,” he said.
Following the win, Jacobellis expressed her support for Foley in a statement.
“It’s definitely been super upsetting to have that when we’re trying to focus and it definitely breaks up our team energy a little bit,” she said. “But in my 20 years on the team, I can speak very highly of his character. He’s always been supporting me through everything I’ve gone through, and he helped me find an amazing mental health coach to help me prepare for this moment here today.”