Mari Fukada won her first Olympic medal. © ANSA / ALEX PLAVEVSKI

Japanese teenager triumphs unexpectedly in slopestyle

In the women's snowboard slopestyle event in Livigno, a young Japanese athlete achieved her first Olympic victory. A German athlete, however, narrowly missed out on a medal.

February 18, 2026

From: mv

The slopestyle final, like the aerials final, was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed to Wednesday. Somewhat surprisingly, 19-year-old Mari Fukada emerged victorious. The Japanese athlete, who won bronze at last year's World Championships, edged out Zoi Sadowski Synnott of New Zealand with 87.83 points (87,48 points). Kokomo Murase, also from Japan, finished third (85,8).

Germany's Annika Morgan was in a medal position until the last skier – the second-placed New Zealander – had finished. But Sadowski Synnott, the 2022 Olympic champion, moved into second place, causing Morgan to drop to fourth.