Editor’s note: This story will be updated.
With a median age of 19 for the six female competitors in the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships slopestyle finals on Vail Mountain on Friday, 17-year-old Zoi Sadowski-Synnot put down the winning run of the day with her first of three runs — despite dropping her phone on the course.
Sadowski-Synnot came into the event with momentum, winning at the X Games in Aspen and also the world championships — off to an impressive start to her snowboarding career. She won with a first-run score of 82.55.
“I’m just happy to be here and have such good support out here. I’m just happy to put down a run,” the New Zealander said from the finish corral. “This was one of the first contests I watched since I started competing. I’m just so stoked right now.”
Julia Marino, 21, finished second and Miyabi Onitsuka, 20, pulled off a third-place run with her third and final run.
The competition featured four lead changes during the three-run finals.
Hailey Langland, 18, finished fourth after Onitsuka’s final run pushed her off the podium. It’s not a matter of if Langland can win this competition, the announcers agreed, it’s a matter of when. Langland helped set the tone for the competition with a 77.5 score on the second run of the day.
Annika Morgan, 17, finished fifth, and Enni Rukajarvi finished sixth.
Assistant editor Ross Leonhart can be reached at 970-748-2984 and rleonhart@vaildaily.com. Follow him on Instagram at colorado_livin_on_the_hill.
Women’s slopestyle standings
1st: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (82.55)
2nd: Julia Marino (80.35)
3rd: Miyabi Onitsuka (78.85)
4th: Hailey Langland (77.50)
5th: Annika Morgan (72.00)
6th: Enno Rukajarvi (69.85)