Feeling the fear and doing it anyway has always been Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s vibe, and Saturday night (January 24) at X Games Aspen 2026 was no exception. With shifting winds, sketchy speed, and the world’s best riders staring down some of the biggest tricks ever attempted in competition, the New Zealand snowboarder somehow made it all look effortless as she flew to silver in Stake Women’s Snowboard Big Air — adding yet another medal to her already iconic collection.
“I’m really stoked,” Sadowski-Synnott told Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder moments after stepping off the podium. “The competition was insane and yeah, it just made me feel alive. I’m super stoked to get a silver medal.”
Before the women even dropped, it was unclear if the contest would run at all. Conditions were dicey, speed was inconsistent, and riders were glued to their couches waiting for updates.
“All day we were just sitting at home wondering if we were even gonna go because the skiers were struggling with speed,” she explained. “Then we had our practice and it was going, and we were like, ‘Oh, I guess we’ve gotta go and do a triple cork win.’ Which is pretty scary, but stoked it all worked out.”
That “pretty scary” moment turned into two massive backside triple cork 1440s — enough to earn her a 93.33 score and silver behind Japan’s Cocomo Murase, who made history with the first-ever backside 1620 triple cork landed by a woman in competition. Britain’s Mia Brooks rounded out the podium, making it a repeat of Friday’s slopestyle podium — just in reverse.
“When you’re doing your best, hardest tricks, and you have to go as big as possible, you want as much speed and the best conditions as possible,” Sadowski-Synnott added. “Yeah, a hundred percent, the weather affects what you’re gonna do.”
Still, when the window opened, Zoi delivered, proving yet again why she’s one of the most fearless and consistent riders in the sport.
With her Big Air silver, Sadowski-Synnott now sits at 13 career X Games medals, including six golds — a stat that somehow feels casual when it comes out of her mouth.
“I blinked and suddenly I have 13 X Games medals, which is crazy,” she laughed. “It feels amazing to keep going and I just love the energy and atmosphere that X Games brings. It just pushes me to try harder and scare myself and get better.”
Between her technical precision, massive amplitude, and willingness to push progression, Zoi continues to redefine what’s possible in women’s snowboarding. And she’s doing it while making the hardest tricks in the world look somehow… chill.
As iconic as her X Games run was, Zoi’s focus is already locked on what’s next: the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, where she’ll represent New Zealand for the third consecutive time.
“Next up we have the Olympics in Italy, which I’m really excited for,” she said, casually dropping the kind of line most athletes dream of saying even once.
And for the Kiwi queen, the meaning behind it never fades.
“I’m really excited to hit back to the Olympics and represent New Zealand,” she told us. “It’s just so special to represent my country on the world stage. So yeah, it’s gonna be really exciting.”
Already a three-time Olympic medalist — including New Zealand’s first-ever Winter Olympics gold — Sadowski-Synnott is heading into Milan-Cortina as both a veteran and a favorite, especially in slopestyle, where she’s the reigning world champion.
But what makes this moment even sweeter is that she’s fresh off an injury and using X Games Aspen as her ultimate confidence reset before the biggest stage in sports.
“This is my third Olympics, so it’s different every single time,” she shared. “And I’ve just come off an injury, and having X Games this week to get back on form — I feel good going in. I just wanna show my best, show snowboarding, women’s progression to the world. I’m really excited.”
And when she finally gets a second to breathe in Italy, she’s hoping to hit the stores and amp up her Aprés wardrobe.
“Any downtime in Milan?” she laughed. “I’d love to go shopping.”
For more on the 24-year-old’s big win, make sure to watch our full interview with Zoi below — and don’t forget to let us know if you’ve been loving X Games Aspen 2026 by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
Watch the full Stake Women’s Snowboard Big Air competition here:
For more coverage from X Games Aspen 2026, click here.
