In snowboard big air, the Japanese women's team is currently incredibly strong. At the 2020 Winter X Games women's competition, Japanese riders achieved the remarkable feat of sweeping the podium. The venue in Beijing will be a gorgeous special venue built in the heart of the city. Here, we'll tell you the key points of snowboard big air, where you can't take your eyes off the invincible Japanese women's team. Be sure to get a grasp of the basics and cheer on Team JAPAN, who are said to be the strongest right now!
Snowboard Big Air ｜Snowboard Big Air
With Murase Kokoro and Iwabuchi Reira having already won the World Cup this season,
multiple medals for the Japanese team are definitely possible!
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Big Air Competition Schedule
Snowboard Big Air will be held over two days in the second half of the Beijing Olympics. Athletes who didn't win a medal in slopestyle will be looking to get revenge here and will be aiming for some daring tricks. (The schedule is subject to change due to weather and other factors.)
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 14th (Monday) 9:30-11:44 (Japan time 10:30-12:44) | Women's Snowboard Big Air Qualifiers 1-3 | Big Air Neck Steel | February 14th (Monday) 10:20-12:45 Live broadcast (NHK BS1) |
| February 14th (Monday) 13:30-15:45 (Japan time 14:30-16:45) | Men's Snowboard Big Air Qualifiers 1-3 | Big Air Neck Steel | February 14th (Monday) 14:20-16:50 Live broadcast on NHK |
| February 15th (Tue) 9:30-10:35 (Japan time 10:30-11:35) | Women's Snowboard Big Air Final Runs 1-3 | Big Air Neck Steel | February 15th (Tue) 10:15-11:54 Live broadcast on NHK |
| February 15th (Tue) 12:00-14:05 (Japan time 13:00-15:05) | Men's Snowboard Big Air Final Runs 1-3 | Big Air Neck Steel | February 15th (Tue) 13:05-15:05 Live broadcast on NHK |
■Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Snowboard Big Air
Snowboard Big Air is a discipline that was introduced at the PyeongChang Olympics. Unlike ski jumping, where competitors compete for distance, judges score the difficulty and perfection of the tricks performed in the air, as well as the style, grabs, and landings of the aerial tricks to determine the winner. It's not just about jumping high, but jumping high opens up more possibilities for tricks. In addition to the number of rotations, the judging criteria also include how well the competitors enter the kicker (jump stand), what axis they rotate on, and how firmly they grab the ball
Snowboard slopestyle athletes will be competing in the Beijing Olympics as normal. Japan has won the two World Cup events held this season, with Murase Kokoro and Iwabuchi Reira each winning. Onizuka Miyabi has also previously won the World Cup held in Beijing, meaning the women's team has an extremely high chance of winning a medal. One obstacle that could pose a challenge to the Japanese team is Anna Gasser (Austria), who won the gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics with a Cab Double Cork 1080. She has placed second in two consecutive World Cups and is still in the top group
In the men's competition, it is difficult to predict who will win medals, as accomplished athletes such as PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist Sebastien Toutant (Canada) and last season's World Championship winner Mark McMorris (Canada) have not achieved notable results this season. However, 17-year-old newcomer Su Yiming (China), who won the second World Cup event, is likely to be an interesting contender
One way to enjoy it is to compare it with freeskiing big air. Skiing, where both feet are free, and snowboarding, where both feet are glued to a single board, allow you to express different things, and each has its own appeal
▼Video of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Snowboard Big Air
■ Beijing Olympics Snowboard Big Air Competition Format
The competition will proceed in this order from the preliminaries to the finals
- <Qualification> All skaters will skate three times, and the highest score of each skater will be used to determine the ranking. The top eight skaters will advance to the finals
- <Finals> All competitors who pass the preliminary rounds will skate three times, and the final ranking will be determined by the highest score of each competitor
The order of the qualifying rounds is decided by lottery, with 12 competitors advancing to the finals in two heats. There are two qualifying rounds, but three chances in the finals. The highest score here is used, so many competitors aim for big moves from the start. The finals are run in order from the lowest qualifying rankings
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day
■The venue for the Beijing Olympics Big Air Snowboarding
Big Air Neck Steel
■ Japan's representative for the Beijing Olympics snowboard big air 
[Boys]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ruki Tobita | @rukitobita | May 7, 1999 | Adachi Ward, Tokyo | Will Rays | First appearance |
| Kaito Hamada | @kaitohamada | October 14, 1999 | Sapporo, Hokkaido | Murasaki Sports Hokkaido | First appearance |
| Takeru Otsuka | @takeru_otsuka | April 2, 2001 | Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture | Burton | First appearance |
| Hiroaki Kunitake | @hiroaki_kunitake | February 10, 2002 | Agui Town, Aichi Prefecture | STANCER | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
[Women]
| name | date of birth | Birthplace | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Miyabi Onitsuka | @miyabionitsuka | October 12, 1998 | Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture | Will Rays | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Reira Iwabuchi | @leila_iwabuchi | December 14, 2001 | Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture | Burton | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
| Murase Kokomo | @cocomonsan | November 7, 2004 | Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture | Burton | First appearance |
| Rina Yoshika | @rinayoshik | April 9, 1999 | Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture | STANCER | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
The Japanese women's snowboard big air event is one to watch. Miyabi Onitsuka, Reira Iwabuchi, and Kokona Murase have a proven track record not only in the World Cup but also in the Winter X Games, and in the 2020 season, all three dominated the podium. We can only hope to see the same scene unfold in Beijing. Onitsuka, in particular, was considered a medal contender at the Pyeongchang Olympics but failed to win a medal, so her motivation for the Beijing Olympics is high, and she will likely put her career on the line with a strong performance
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
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