ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Before Zoi Sadowski-Synnott could get up from the snow after her gold-medal winning slopestyle run, she was tackled back to the ground by the two women she had just beat.
Julia Marino of the United States and Australia's Tess Coady hugged the New Zealander, and when Sadowski-Synnott's final score was announced, all 12 snowboarders in the final mobbed her, forming a large group hug, dancing in a circle at the bottom of the hill at Zhangjiakou Genting Snow Park.
Quebec City's Laurie Blouin, who narrowly missed out on a second Olympic medal with a fourth-place finish on Sunday, said that celebration and the mutual respect she and her fellow snowboarders have for each other have been the highlight of her experience at the Beijing Olympics.
"It says a lot. I mean, like we're all friends, you know?" said Blouin. "Like, yes, we're competing against each other but that's what I like about snowboarding, we're all friends and we're all cheering for each other."
Sadowski-Synnott won the first Winter Games gold in New Zealand's history after scoring 92.88 on her blistering final run that brought the house down, regardless of nation.Â
"That was a pretty special moment and probably a moment that I'll never forget," said Sadowski-Synnott about getting mobbed by her friends.
"Yes, it was just so amazing, just so special."
Although the data had run out on her phone by the time she won gold, Sadowski-Synnott said she could "feel the shock waves" coming from New Zealand.
"To win New Zealand's first Winter Olympic gold, honestly, means so much, she said. "I can't believe that I managed to do it.Â
I'm just super proud to be a Kiwi and I hope I made everyone proud at home."
Marino, who shares a coach with Blouin, took silver with 87.68 on her second run. Australia's Tess Coady edged the Canadian for bronze when she scored 84.15 on her final run.
After a rough second run, Blouin rebounded with an impressive score of 81.41 points on her final trip through the course. But it wasn't enough to break into the top three.
Blouin said that Sunday's beautiful conditions in the mountains 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing meant that everyone had to go all out on the Great Wall of China-themed course.
"Today everyone was just going crazy, you couldn't go safe today," she said. "Today was the best day, honestly, like no wind and blue skies, like perfect."
Blouin won silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and was considered a strong contender to make the podium again in Beijing. Jamie Anderson of the United States won gold in the discipline four years ago but struggled on Sunday, finishing ninth with a best score of 60.78.
The Canadian's Olympics are not done. She will compete in snowboarding big air. That event begins on Feb. 14 in Beijing.
Jasmine Baird of Georgetown, Ont., and Brooke Voigt of Fort McMurray, Alta., will also compete in big air. Beijing is Baird's first Olympics and Voigt competed in big air and slopestyle in 2018.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2022.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had Zoi Sadowski-Synnott's surname incorrectly spelled.
