Face of the Day — Sport

Face of the Day

The first five-time Olympic medallist in the colourful, unpredictable sport of snowboarding comes from a colourful, unexpected place: New Zealand. The honour belongs to Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, a 24-year-old from Wānaka.

, and Good Oil Staff

February 20, 2026 . 6:30 AM

1 min read

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott produced a clutch performance to win the silver medal in the women’s slopestyle final at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

The 24-year-old was fourth as she began her final run at Livigno Snow Park, needing to improve on her score of 77.61 by 1.17 points to move into the medals and by a whopping 10.22 points to move up to first-equal.

She ultimately improved by 9.87 points and scored 87.48 – missing out on winning back-to-back gold medals in the event by just .35 points.

Japan’s Mari Fukada won gold while her countrywoman Kokomo Murase won bronze.

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