Winter Olympics 2026: Ogiwara Hiroto and Ian Matteoli ease into snowboard big air finals - daily results
Winter Olympics 2026: Ogiwara Hiroto and Ian Matteoli ease into snowboard big air finals - daily results
The tension at the Big Air venue for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was electric. Snowboard Big Air qualifiers often feel less like a hurdle and more like a finals preview, and today proved no exception. While the battle for the top 12 spots was fierce, two names stood out, demonstrating unmatched control, style, and massive amplitude: Japan's Ogiwara Hiroto and Italy's own Ian Matteoli. They didn't just qualify; they utterly dominated the field, setting the gold-medal standard early.
For those of us watching from the stands, the atmosphere was a mix of nail-biting silence during the drops and volcanic eruptions of sound when a trick was landed cleanly. I recall observing the very first practice session on this Olympic Big Air jump two days ago. It looked terrifying—steep, exposed to gusting winds, and demanding absolute precision from the takeoff kicker. Seeing Ogiwara stomp his first run, making a maneuver that buckles the knees of lesser athletes look effortless, reminded everyone why this discipline is often called "the aerial chess match." The stakes are higher than ever in 2026, and these athletes are delivering historic performances straight out of the gate.
The Big Air discipline is perhaps the most rapidly evolving event in winter sports, and qualifying for the finals demands two distinct tricks, each landed cleanly, demonstrating both rotational difficulty and technical finesse. Today's daily results confirmed that Ogiwara and Matteoli are currently a class apart in both categories.
The Road to Finals: Mastering the Qualification Gauntlet
The qualification structure requires athletes to land two different, clean tricks across three available runs, with the two best scores aggregated. This setup places immense value on consistency and the ability to execute a diverse trick repertoire. The judges were particularly stringent on amplitude and clean grab execution, penalizing anything less than a perfect stomp on the landing.
The field, comprising athletes from two dozen nations, struggled initially with the high crosswinds that complicated the crucial timing on the takeoff. Several pre-event favorites, including a veteran from the Canadian team, had uncharacteristic falls on their critical second attempts, putting them under immense pressure heading into their final chance. This volatility only amplified the steady, controlled performance of the two eventual leaders.
The key judging criteria that separated the top twelve from the rest of the pack were clear:
- Amplitude and Air Time: Simply put, how high they soared above the cornice. More air time equals more opportunity to complete complex rotations.
- Technical Difficulty: Focusing on the complexity of the trick—specifically the number of spins (rotations) and the number of axis rotations (flips, known as corks).
- Clean Execution: The landing must be solid, riding away without the board scraping the ground, the hands touching the snow, or a noticeable wobble in the run-out.
Athletes who tried to rush their rotations or failed to secure their grabs properly saw their scores plummet dramatically. The fine margin between a gold-medal trick and a disqualifying score is measured in millimeters, and the judges were using those fine measurements today.
Ogiwara and Matteoli: Runs That Defined Dominance
Ogiwara Hiroto entered the 2026 Games as a strong medal contender, building on a spectacular pre-Olympic World Cup season. Today, he confirmed those expectations by taking the top overall spot in qualifying with a near-perfect total score of 93.50. His runs were aggressive yet calculated, showcasing technical mastery rarely seen in a pressure cooker environment.
Ogiwara's defining move was his first run: a stunning Switch Backside 1800 Triple Cork. Landing switch (backwards) into five full rotations and three axis rotations is borderline physics-defying. The execution was flawless, the grab was held firmly (a Method Grab variation), and the landing was stamped with authority. This run earned him the highest single trick score of the day: 47.10. His second scored trick demonstrated his versatility, ensuring he covered all bases for the judges.
Meanwhile, the local hero, Ian Matteoli, riding with the deafening roar of the Italian crowd behind him, secured the second qualifying spot with a highly competitive 92.85. Matteoli is renowned for his style, which blends maximum risk with exceptional grabs, turning highly technical tricks into aesthetic masterpieces. The home turf advantage was palpable, injecting a noticeable confidence into his riding.
- Ian Matteoli's Signature Move: A massive Frontside Double Cork 1440 Mute Grab, held perfectly through the entire flight. While fewer rotations than Ogiwara's 1800, the Mute grab extension was textbook, impressing the style panel and securing a 46.55 score.
- Strategic Depth: Matteoli chose to prioritize quality over the sheer quantity of rotation, landing two tricks in the 1440-to-1620 range with impeccable control, maximizing his style and execution points.
- Mental Toughness: Matteoli appeared immune to the pressure, feeding off the energy of the spectators, often flashing a confident smile before dropping in for his runs.
The one key difference between the two leaders was their approach: Ogiwara leveraged the massive air time to push rotational boundaries, while Matteoli used the height to ensure his grabs were held longer and cleaner, proving there is more than one path to the top of the leaderboard.
The Close Calls and Final Preparations
The battle for the final qualifying spots was nothing short of a heart-stopper, with the 12th position changing hands three times in the last 20 minutes. The cutoff mark ultimately fell at 81.20 points, set by Canada's rising star, Jake Tremblay, who barely edged out Swiss veteran Elias Schumacher by a mere 0.35 points.
Schumacher's near-miss highlights the brutal, efficient demands of Big Air qualification. A minor wobble on his landing or a fractional hesitation in his grab on his final run was enough to shatter his Olympic finals dream. For the twelve athletes who made it through, the next 48 hours will be dedicated to fine-tuning and recovery.
The final twelve represents a superb mix of Olympic debut athletes and seasoned veterans, setting the stage for one of the most unpredictable medal showdowns in recent memory. Beyond the top two, notable qualifiers included:
- Leon Pfeifer (SUI) - Strong third place performance, 88.90 points, consistently clean landings.
- Zhai Tianyi (CHN) - Proved big air is a new strength for China, securing fourth with powerful 1620s.
- Mark McMorris (CAN) - The veteran relied on experience and massive amplitude to sneak into the top six, always a threat in the finals.
- Chris Corning (USA) - Demonstrated consistency, maintaining his presence despite battling technical difficulties earlier in the season.
For the finalists, the strategic calculus now pivots completely. In the qualification round, risk assessment is crucial; in the final, however, it's about maximizing difficulty. The format demands 100% commitment to landing the highest-scoring, most technically demanding tricks possible, often requiring maneuvers that have never before been seen in major competition.
Both Ogiwara and Matteoli have hinted at deep reserves in their trick bags. Reports from closed practice sessions suggest they are both working on unprecedented variations of the Quintuple Cork—five rotations with more than three inverts. If they unleash these game-changers on the final day, guaranteed to be under the lights and in front of an even larger crowd, we are guaranteed an unforgettable medal showdown at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Winter Olympics 2026: Ogiwara Hiroto and Ian Matteoli ease into snowboard big air finals - daily results
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