Lausanne, Switzerland, January 20, 2020: To say that Japan dominated the snowboard women’s halfpipe competition at the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Monday would be an understatement.
Gold medal-winner Mitsuki Ono finished first in all five runs – two in qualifying and three in the finals – and her teammate Manon Kaji was right behind her with five consecutive second-placed finishes to take the silver medal in a Japanese 1-2.
Ono, 15, is already competing on the senior World Cup circuit and feels this experience helped her secure gold by a wide margin at Lausanne 2020.
“I am always competing in the World Cup,” Ono said. “And this final pushed me to that level.”
The Japanese prospect finished ninth in her most recent World Cup appearance, in Secret Garden, China, a month ago and - after winning the halfpipe Junior World Championships in 2018 and 2019, plus finishing third in her national championships last year - the competition know Ono is the real deal.
“She is really good,” said Berenice Wicki (SUI), who claimed bronze behind Ono and Kaji. “They are both in front in the World Cups, it was really tough. The final was like a World Cup.”
Kaji ended 10 points behind Ono with Wicki a further four back.
While eyeing the second half of a season packed with further opportunities to test herself against the best, Ono is also excited by another looming Olympic date.
“I live near Tokyo so it’s great that the Olympic Games are next. I can’t wait to see it all,” said Ono, who is from Saitama just north of the capital.
*Japan picked up another silver medal on Monday in the ski jumping mixed team event behind the perennial powerhouse Austria at Les Tuffes Nordic Centre.
Japan’s team was comprised of Nordic combined junior world champion Ayane Miyazaki, Yuto Nishikata, Machiko Kubota and Sota Kudo. This was a second Winter YOG silver for Miyazaki after her runner-up finish in the Nordic combined women’s individual.
Source: Olympic Information Service
