Snowboarding: Miyabi Onitsuka wins big air bronze at world c ships
Japan s Miyabi Onitsuka finished third in the women s snowboard big air Tuesday on the final day of the International Ski Federation Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Aspen, Colorado.
Onitsuka, a slopestyle world champion in 2015 and a slopestyle bronze medalist at the 2017 worlds, is the first Japanese, male or female, to claim a world championships podium finish in the big air event.
Miyabi Onitsuka competes in the snowboard big air finals at the International Ski Federation Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Aspen, Colorado, on March 16, 2021. (Getty/Kyodo)
Canada swept the snowboard big air titles as Laurie Blouin earned the women s gold and Mark McMorris won the men s gold. In big air, riders have three runs, and their best two scores for different tricks are added together for a final score.
Snowboarding: Japan s Yuto Totsuka wins maiden halfpipe world championship
Japan s Yuto Totsuka won his maiden halfpipe world title Saturday following an incredible final run at the FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Championships in Aspen.
With the victory, the 19-year-old denied Australia s Scotty James a record fourth straight world title and underlined his status as the man to beat in the run-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Japan s Yuto Totsuka competes in the men s snowboard halfpipe final at the FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Championships in Aspen on March 13, 2021. (Getty/Kyodo)
Totsuka, who finished runner-up to rival James at the previous world championships, scored 96.25 to finish 5.75 points ahead of the Australian. Switzerland s Jan Scherrer was third, 9.25 points behind Totsuka.