Bakuriani 2023 big air golds go to Gasser and Hasegawa

“It was really tough conditions out here today and practice didn’t go my way at all,” a relieved Gasser said from the finish area, “Everyone who competed today went to their limits to make this happen. We had snow, we had rain, we had wind and I’m just happy I landed on my feet. It wasn’t the best tricks I can do, but it was enough for today’s conditions.”

Second place and the silver medal would go to Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka, who would earn her second podium at these World Championships after taking slopestyle bronze on Monday. Stomping a frontside 1080 melon on run one, and then needing her third and final run to put down a clean backside double 1080 Weddle grab, Onituka would earn a combined score of 161.25 on her way to silver.

On top of that, with her two Bakuriani 2023 podiums this week Onitsuka moves into a tie with Zoi Sadwoski-Synnott (NZL) and Seppe Smits (BEL) with five World Championships top threes, with those three tied for the most World Champs freestyle snowboard competition history.

Taking home the bronze medal would be Australia’s Tess Coady, as the 22-year-old who also won slopestyle bronze at Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games stomped a backside double cork 1080 Indy in run one and followed that up with a frontside 900 tail grab in run two for a score of 153.25 and the second World Championships podium of her career.

HASEGAWA GOES 1800 TWICE FOR FIRST JAPANESE BIG AIR GOLD

Over on the men’s side of things it was an absolutely dominant performance from 17-year-old ripper Taiga Hasegawa, who would end up fully 20 points ahead of his nearest competitor on his way to the first-ever big air gold for a Japanese snowboarder.

Hasegawa is known to be able to confidently spin 1800s all four ways (frontside and backside, both switch and regular) and on Saturday he showed off two of those 18s on his way to victory, first going switch frontside 1800 Weddle grab for a score of 90.00, and then following that up with the regular frontside version for 87.25 points, ending up with a combined total of 177.25 that would not be approached.