In snowboard big air, the Japanese women's team is the strongest in the world right now. In the 2020 Winter X Games womens, Japanese riders achieved the feat of monopolizing the podium. The stage in Beijing is a gorgeous special venue in the city of Beijing. Here we will tell you the main points of snowboard big air that you can't take your eyes off from the invincible Japanese women. Let's get basic knowledge and support Team JAPAN, which is said to be the strongest now!
Snowboard Big Air | Snowboard Big Air
Kokoro Murase and Reiraku Iwabuchi have won the World Cup this season,
and it is quite possible that the Japanese team will receive multiple medals!
■Beijing Olympic Snowboard Big Air Competition Schedule
Snowboard Big Air will be held over two days in the second half of the Beijing Olympics. Athletes who did not win medals in slopestyle will be looking for a way to get back on the field, and will be aiming for bold tricks. (Schedule may change due to weather conditions, etc.)
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 14 (Mon) 9:30-11:44 (Japan time 10:30-12:44) | Women's Snowboard Big Air Qualifying Rounds 1-3 | big air neck steel | February 14 (Mon) 10:20-12:45 Live broadcast (NHK BS1) |
| February 14 (Mon) 13:30-15:45 (Japan time 14:30-16:45) | Men's Snowboard Big Air Qualifying Runs 1-3 | big air neck steel | February 14 (Mon) 14:20-16:50 Live terrestrial broadcasting (NHK) |
| February 15 (Tue) 9:30-10:35 (Japan time 10:30-11:35) | Women's Snowboard Big Air Finals 1-3 | big air neck steel | February 15 (Tue) 10:15-11:54 Live terrestrial broadcasting (NHK) |
| February 15 (Tue) 12:00-14:05 (Japan time 13:00-15:05) | Men's Snowboard Big Air Finals 1-3 | big air neck steel | February 15 (Tue) 13:05-15:05 Live terrestrial broadcasting (NHK) |
■ Highlights of the Beijing Olympic Snowboard Big Air
Snowboard big air is an event adopted from the Pyeongchang Olympics. Unlike ski jumping competitions, ski jumpers compete for distance, but judges grade the difficulty and perfection of tricks in the air, style, grabs, and landings in the air to compete for superiority. It doesn't mean that you should just fly big, but if you fly big, the possibilities of tricks will expand. Also, not only the number of rotations, but also how well you can enter the kicker (jap table), what kind of axis you rotate, how firmly you grab, etc. are also scoring criteria.
At the Beijing Olympics, snowboard slopestyle athletes will participate as they are. Kokoro Murase and Reiraku Iwabuchi won the two World Cups this season for Japan. Miyabi Onizuka has also won the World Cup held in Beijing in the past, and women's medal acquisition is extremely high. The obstacle for the Japanese team is likely to be Anna Gasser (Austria), who won the gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics with a cab double cork 1080, and she is still in the top group after finishing second in two consecutive World Cups. there is
In the men's field, proven athletes such as Pyeongchang Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Toutan (Canada) and last season's world champion Mark McMorris (Canada) have not been able to leave outstanding results this season, so medals are expected. is difficult. Under such circumstances, 17-year-old newcomer Su Yiqiang (China), who won the second round of the World Cup, seems to be an interesting presence.
As a recommended way to enjoy it, compare it with Free Ski Big Air. Skiing, in which both feet are free, and snowboarding, in which both feet are attached to a single board, express different things, and each has its own charm.
▼2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Snowboard Big Air Video
■ Beijing Olympic snowboard big air match format
From the preliminaries to the finals, it will be contested in this way.
- 〈Preliminary round〉Everyone skates 3 times each, and the ranking is determined by adopting the highest score of each skater, and the top 8 skaters advance to the final.
- 〈Finals〉Every player who passed the preliminary rounds skates three times, and the highest score of each skater is adopted to determine the final ranking.
The running order of the qualifying is determined by lottery, and 12 people advance to the final in two heats. There are two qualifying rounds, but the final has three chances. Since the highest score is adopted here, many players aim for big moves here from the beginning. In addition, the final is a system that skates in order from the bottom of the preliminary ranking.
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day.
■Beijing Olympic snowboard big air venue
big air neck steel
■ Athletes representing Japan in snowboard big air at the Beijing Olympics 
[Men]
| name | Date of birth | where one is from | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ruki Tobita | @rukitobita | May 7, 1999 | Adachi-ku, 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 | where one is from | 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 snowboarders in Big Air are attracting a lot of attention from women. Miyabi Onizuka, Reiraku Iwabuchi, and Kokoro Murase have not only performed at the World Cup, but also at the Winter X Games, and in the 2020 season, the three of them dominated the podium. We hope to see the same scene in Beijing. In particular, Onizuka was considered a medal candidate at the PyeongChang Olympics, but her motivation for the Beijing Olympics was high because she was unable to win a medal.
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
Edit/STEEP