The Beijing Olympics kicked off on February 4, 2022, with heated competition unfolding every day. One snowboarding event that has captured the attention of the whole of Japan is the halfpipe. It is said that whoever masters the halfpipe will master snowboarding, and Japanese riders have now become the stars of the battle to determine the true champion. Here, we will introduce the key points of snowboarding halfpipe, where Japanese athletes are sure to win medals. This will surely increase your interest in watching on TV or online. Be sure to learn the basics and enjoy the world's best pipe riding!
Snowboard Half Pipe ｜Snowboard Half Pipe
Two-sword athlete Ayumu Hirano
is within striking distance of the gold medal, with other strong medal contenders on the Japanese team
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Schedule
The snowboard halfpipe is scheduled for the first half of the tournament. The qualifying rounds for both men and women are held on the same day, but the finals, in which each athlete will have three runs, are held on different days. The men's final, in which Japanese athletes are expected to win medals, will be held on National Foundation Day, so many people will be able to watch it on television in real time
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Schedule
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| Wednesday, February 9th, 9:30-11:10 (10:30-12:10 Japan time) | Women's Freestyle Halfpipe Qualifying Runs 1-2 | Yunding Snow Park | Live broadcast on Wednesday, February 9th from 10:15 (NHK General TV) gorin.jp is here |
| Wednesday, February 9th, 12:30-14:10 (13:30-15:10 Japan time) | Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifying Round 1 | Yunding Snow Park | February 9th (Wed) 13:30-15:10 (TBS affiliate) February 9th (Wed) 18:10~ Recording (NHK General TV) gorin.jp is here |
| February 10th (Thursday) 9:30-10:49 (10:30-11:49 Japan time) | Women's Snowboard Halfpipe Finals 1-3 | Yunding Snow Park | Recorded on Thursday, February 10th at 16:55 (NHK General TV) gorin.jp is here |
| February 11th (Fri) 9:30-10:49 (10:30-11:49 Japan time) | Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Finals 1-3 | Yunding Snow Park | February 11th (Friday) 10:05~ Live broadcast (NHK) & live internet streaming (NHK) gorin.jp is here |
■Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Snowboard Halfpipe
Snowboard halfpipe first appeared in the Olympics at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. This time, it's sure to be the snowboarding event that Japanese media will cover the most. This is due to the presence of Hirano Ayumu, a two-time Olympic silver medalist who competed as a skateboarder at the recent Tokyo Olympics. Hirano's absence from the Snowboarding World Cup for three seasons was seen as a long way off, and some believed his chances of winning a medal in Beijing were slim. However, after his return this season, he surprised the world by successfully executing the world's first ever "triple cork 1440" at the international DEW Tour. Despite his absence, he led the World Cup with two wins from three races, even in a competition featuring the charismatic two-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White (USA)
Incidentally, the one race that Ayumu Hirano did not win was won by Ruka Hirano. This means that only Japanese athletes have won the men's World Cup this season. The Japanese team also includes Yuto Totsuka, who won the Superpipe at last season's Winter X Games. It's entirely possible that Japanese athletes will dominate the podium at the Beijing Olympics
Additionally, Japan's women's team is also strong. Tomita Sena is second in the overall World Cup rankings, and Ono Mitsuki is third. Tomita Ruki, who is sixth overall, has won once. As such, there is no doubt that Japan's snowboarding halfpipe team is currently dominating the world's top scene, and is the most incredible team in history. You definitely don't want to miss this moment when new history is made
▼Video of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Halfpipe
Shaun White's skating, the gold medalist in the men's halfpipe at the previous tournament
Ayumu Hirano, silver medalist in the men's halfpipe at the previous tournament
Chloe Kim's skating, winner of the women's halfpipe gold medal at the previous tournament
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Format
In the "Individual" category, the competition will proceed as follows from the preliminaries to the finals
- <Qualification> All skaters will skate twice, and the highest score will be used to determine the ranking. The top 12 skaters will advance to the finals
- <Finals> All skaters will skate three times, and the highest score will be used to determine the final ranking
In the preliminaries, the order of skating is decided by lottery. The key point is that the higher score is used rather than the total score of two runs, so even if you fail on the first run, you have another chance. However, athletes who get a high score on their first run are guaranteed a chance of advancing to the final even if they fail on their second run, so they can feel more at ease mentally.
There are three chances in the final (two in the World Cup). For this reason, athletes aiming for a medal often attempt risky tricks. Furthermore, since athletes skate in order from the bottom of the preliminaries in the final, athletes who rank high in the preliminaries can assess the overall developments, which gives them an advantage.
A major feature of this event is that it is judged not only on the difficulty and perfection of the tricks, but also on originality and innovation. On the other hand, not only is movement in the air important, but smooth transitions between tricks are also important, so skaters must accurately grip the curve of the pipe with their boards as they skate
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day
■The venue for the Beijing Olympics snowboard halfpipe
Yunding Snow Park
■Japanese representative for the Beijing Olympics snowboard halfpipe 
[Boys]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ayumu Hirano | @ayumuhirano1129 | November 29, 1998 | Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture | TOKIO Inkarami | 2 (Sochi, Pyeongchang) |
| Yuto Totsuka | @yuto_totsuka | September 27, 2001 | Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture | Yonex | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Ruka Hirano | @rukahirano | March 12, 2002 | Osaka City University, Osaka Prefecture | Taisei Gakuin University Ski Club | First appearance |
| Hirano Kaishu | @4kaishu | October 14, 2002 | Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture | Nihon University | First appearance |
[Women]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ruki Tomita | @ruki_tomita | December 28, 2001 | Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture | Team JWSC | First appearance |
| Mitsuki Ono | @mitsukiono | March 5, 2004 | Yoshikawa City, Saitama Prefecture | Burton | First appearance |
| Sena Tomita | @sena_tomita | October 5, 1999 | Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture | Team Albirex Niigata | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Imai Walnut | @kurumi924 | September 24, 1999 | Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture | Prior Holdings | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
It would not be surprising if both the men's and women's teams won multiple medals. In addition to the athletes mentioned above, Hirano Miku is a rising star who achieved her personal best of fourth place in the World Cup this season, securing a ticket to Beijing. Imai Kurumi has also previously reached the podium at the World Cup. Hirano Ayumu and Hirano Miku are siblings. Tomita Sena and Tomita Ruki are also sisters. The idea of siblings competing in the Olympics, both male and female, is sure to generate a lot of buzz
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
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