Olympics
Men’s snowboard big air wrapped up on February 7, 2026, with the finals round held in Livigno, Italy. Men’s snowboard big air was the first snowboarding event for this year’s Games, with the qualifier round being held on Thursday, February 5. In the event, each rider gets three runs, and the competition is scored using a combination of the best two scores.
17-year-old Oliver Martin of Vail, Colorado, was the lone American to move onto the final. Australian Valentino Guseli also made waves when he was notified he would be competing in big air just two hours before the qualifications after Canadian Mark McMorris’ crash. To everyone’s surprise—including Guseli’s—the 20-year-old managed to qualify in 12th place for the finals round.
The riders started the finals round by immediately going huge, throwing 1800s (five full spins) and 1980s (five and a half full spins). Riders struggled stomping their runs, with Martin going down on his first attempt at a backside 1800. Japan’s Ryoma Kimata jumped in first place early, earning an 86.25 on his first attempt. Kimata was closely followed by the Kiwi riders of New Zealand, who quickly jumped into second, third, and fourth place.
China’s Su Yiming, who took gold in the same event in 2022 in Beijing, landed his first attempt at a backside 1980, moving him into first place with an 88.25, overtaking Kimata. His first-place position was short-lived, after Japan’s Kira Kimura received an 89.00 on his own backside 1980. Home-country Italian Ian Matteoli was next to drop, who unfortunately fell on trying the most difficult trick of the competition, a switch backside 1980. The first round of runs came to an end with Japanese rider Hiroto Ogiwara, who holds the world record with a 2340 he landed at X Games in 2025. He fell on his first run on a switch backside 1980 attempt.
Kimata put down a heater of a second run with a switch backside 1980, taking a commanding lead. USA’s Martin stepped up to the plate in his second attempt, putting down a run to keep him in the competition. Canada’s Francis Jobin opted for the switch backside double rodeo 1260, a unique trick that made him stand out amongst the rest of the field as he moved into seventh place on his run. Italy’s Matteoli put down a switch backside 1980, landing with the hometown crowd erupting in a cheer for their fellow countryman.
Ogiwara of Japan went down on his second run of the night, ending his hopes of medaling in big air. Round two ended with Kimata (Japan) sitting in first, followed by Yiming (China) and Dane Menzies (New Zealand). USA’s Martin finished the round in 11th place.
On Martin’s third and final run, he stomped a frontside 1800, putting him in silver medal position, followed closely by Matteoli, who jumped into third place with a switch frontside 1800. Then Kimura swooped in with a switch back 1980 that put him in first place, bumping Martin into third and Matteoli off the podium.
Yiming of China was the final rider of the competition to drop in, landing a switch backside 1980, who jumped into third place, bumping Martin off the podium.Â
The big air finals ended with Japan’s Kira Kumura taking gold, Japan’s Ryoma Kimata taking silver, and China’s Su Yiming taking bronze. Unfortunately for Team USA, they fell just short of a medal but it was an incredible result for Martin.
Now, the big air riders turn to the slopestyle competition, where each of them will compete again to try to earn an Olympic medal.Â
