The Beijing Olympics, which opened on February 4, 2022, has been hotly contested every day. Halfpipe is a snowboarding event that is attracting attention all over Japan. It is said that whoever wins the halfpipe wins the snowboard, and the Japanese riders are now the main players in the real championship. Here, we introduce the main points of the snowboard halfpipe, which is sure to win medals for Japanese athletes. This will increase your interest in watching TV and Internet games. Let's acquire the basic knowledge and enjoy the world's highest peak pipe riding!
Snowboard Half Pipe ｜Snowboard Half Pipe
“Two-sword style” Ayumu Hirano is on the verge of winning the gold medal, and
other leading medal candidates line up in the Japanese team
■Beijing Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Schedule
Snowboard Halfpipe is scheduled for the first half of the tournament. The men's and women's qualifying rounds are held on the same day, but the finals, where each competitor skates three times, are held on separate days. The men's final, in which the Japanese athletes are expected to win medals, will be held on National Foundation Day, so many people will be able to watch it on TV in real time.
■Beijing Olympic Snowboard Halfpipe Competition Schedule
| Date and time | venue | Broadcast schedule | |
| February 9 (Wednesday) 9:30-11:10 (Japan time 10:30-12:10) | Women's Freestyle Halfpipe Qualifying Rounds 1-2 | Uncho Snow Park | February 9th (Wednesday) Live from 10:15 (NHK General) gorin.jp is here |
| February 9 (Wednesday) 12:30-14:10 (Japan time 13:30-15:10) | Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifying Round 1 - Run | Uncho Snow Park | February 9 (Wednesday) 13:30-15:10 (TBS series) February 9 (Wednesday) 18:10-Recording (NHK General) gorin.jp is here |
| February 10 (Thursday) 9:30-10:49 (Japan time 10:30-11:49) | Women's Snowboard Halfpipe Finals 1-3 | Uncho Snow Park | February 10 (Thursday) 16:55-Recording (NHK General) gorin.jp is here |
| February 11 (Fri) 9:30-10:49 (Japan time 10:30-11:49) | Men's Snowboard Halfpipe Finals 1-3 | Uncho Snow Park | February 11 (Friday) 10:05- Live broadcast (NHK) & Internet live distribution (NHK) gorin.jp is here |
■ Highlights of the Beijing Olympics Snowboard Halfpipe
The snowboard halfpipe first appeared in the Olympics at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. This time, it is certain that it will be the snowboarding event that the Japanese media will take up the most. This is because Ayumu Hirano, who was a two-time consecutive silver medalist and participated in the previous Tokyo Olympics as a skateboarder. Since Hirano had been away from the snowboard World Cup for three seasons, it was viewed that Beijing's medal acquisition would be difficult. However, this season after his return, he surprised the world by succeeding in the world's first big move "triple cork 1440" at the international tournament "DEW Tour". At the World Cup, where charismatic rider Sean White (USA), a two-time Olympic gold medalist, also participated, he is running at the top with two wins from three races despite blanks.
By the way, it was Ruka Hirano who won the first race that Ayumu Hirano didn't win. In other words, only Japanese players have won the men's World Cup this season. Also on the Japanese team is Yuto Totsuka, who won his Winter X Games Superpipe last season. At the Beijing Olympics, it is very possible that the podium of the Japanese group will be monopolized.
In addition, women in Japan are also strong. In the World Cup overall ranking, Sena Tomita is second and Mitsuki Ono is third. Ruki Tomita, 6th overall, has won once. In this way, there is no doubt that the Japanese snowboard halfpipe team is currently sweeping the world's top scene and forming an unbelievable strongest team in history. Don't miss the moment when a new history is created.
▼2018 Pyeongchang Olympic halfpipe video
Last year's competition, halfpipe men's gold medal Shaun White skating
Last year's competition, men's halfpipe silver medal Ayumu Hirano skating
Last year's competition, women's halfpipe gold medalist Chloe Kim's skating
■Beijing Olympic snowboard halfpipe match format
In the "individual", the flow is like this from the preliminary round to the final round.
- 〈Preliminary round〉Everyone skates twice, the highest score is used to determine the ranking, and the top 12 advance to the final.
- 〈Final〉Everyone skates 3 times, adopts the highest score, and decides the final ranking.
In the preliminary rounds, the running order is determined by lottery.
The point is that the higher score of two skates is taken instead of the total score, and even if the first one fails, there is another chance. However, even if a player who gets a high score in the first run fails in the second run, the possibility of advancing to the final is guaranteed, so it will be easier mentally. There are three chances in the final (two in the World Cup). As a result, athletes aiming for medals often challenge high-stakes tricks. In addition, since the finals will be skated in order from the lower qualifying competitors, the top qualifying competitors can see the overall development, which can be said to be advantageous in that respect.
A major feature of this event is that in addition to the difficulty and perfection of the technique, it is also scored from the viewpoint of originality and innovation. On the other hand, it is important not only to move in the air, but also to smoothly connect techniques, so it is necessary to accurately grasp the R surface of the pipe with a board while skating.
*The match format and ranking format may change depending on the weather on the day.
■Beijing Olympic snowboard halfpipe venue
Uncho Snow Park
■ Japan's snowboard halfpipe athletes at the Beijing Olympics 
[Men]
| name | Date of birth | where one is from | Affiliation | Number of Olympic appearances | |
| Ayumu Hirano | @ayumuhirano1129 | November 29, 1998 | Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture | TOKIO Inkarami | 2 (Sochi, Pyeongchang) |
| Yuuto 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 | where one is from | 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 | Prio Holdings | 1 (Pyeongchang) |
It would not be strange for both men and women to win multiple medals. In addition to the players mentioned above, Kaiho Hirano recorded a personal best 4th place in the World Cup this season and is a fast growing stock that grabbed a ticket to Beijing. Kurumi Imai also has podium experience at the World Cup in the past. Ayumu Hirano and Kaiho Hirano are brothers. Sena Tomita and Ruki Tomita are also sisters. The fact that both men and women will participate in the Olympics as brothers and sisters is a hot topic.
Text/Daisuke Mizorogi
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