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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Snowboarding - Gutsy Gasser goes for glory, bags big air gold

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Final Run 3 - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 22, 2018 - Gold medallist Anna Gasser of Austria holds a Soohorang Olympics plush mascot during the flower ceremony. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Anna Gasser stood at the top of the big air ramp on Thursday, caught in two minds ahead of her crucial final run. In the end, the Austrian snowboarder changed her planned trick and was rewarded with the first Olympic gold medal in the event.

Gasser, who finished 15th in the slopestyle event last week, put down a 96.00 with the final run of the day to snatch gold away from American Jamie Anderson.

The Austrian's combined score of 185.00 from her two best runs relegated slopestyle champion Anderson into silver with a 177.25 total, while New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott took the bronze with a combined 157.50.

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Final Run 3 - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 22, 2018 - Gold medallist Anna Gasser of Austria flanked by silver medallist Jamie Anderson of the U.S. and bronze medallist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand hold Soohorang Olympics plush mascots during the flower ceremony. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Gasser said deciding to go with something different for her third run had been key.

"I was standing up there and I knew I had the silver and I only could win and I was like, 'No, I'm going to go full risk and if it works out then I deserve this medal,'" she said.

"Thankfully it worked out."

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Final Run 3 - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 22, 2018 - Gold medallist Anna Gasser of Austria holds up the Austrian flag. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The gold will go some way to making up for the Austrian's disappointment in the slopestyle, where high winds prevented any of the riders from laying down two clean runs.

Gasser said the slopestyle should have been postponed and that Anderson was the only one who wanted it to go ahead.

The big air event is making its Olympic debut in Pyeongchang and sees snowboarders hurtle down a ramp standing at 49 metres with a maximum slope angle of 40 degrees and perform spins and tricks to impress the judges.

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Final Run 3 - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 22, 2018 - Anna Gasser of Austria celebrates. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The women's final was brought forward to Thursday as high winds are forecast for Friday, with the men's final scheduled for Saturday.

Anderson, who became the first woman to win two snowboarding medals at a single Olympics, said she was happier to win the big air silver medal than she was defending the slopestyle title she had won in Sochi four years ago.

"It feels better because we have great conditions and everyone was able to ride their best, so it feels rewarding," she said.

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Final Run 1 - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 22, 2018 - Anna Gasser of Austria competes. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Sadowski-Synnott was another who took a risk with her final jump and while she could not pull it off perfectly, she was satisfied that she had given it a go.

"I've never done that trick before, but it's the Olympics, so I wanted to do something crazy," said the 16-year-old, who won New Zealand's second ever Winter Olympics medal.

Barely two hours later, another 16-year-old New Zealander, Nico Porteous, won his country's third when he took bronze in the ski halfpipe.

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Qualifications - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 19, 2018 - Anna Gasser of Austria reacts. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

(Reporting by Peter Rutherford; Editing by Greg Stutchbury/John O'Brien)

Snowboarding - Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics - Women's Big Air Final Run 3 - Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre - Pyeongchang, South Korea - February 22, 2018 - Anna Gasser of Austria celebrates. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Feb 21, 2018; Pyeongchang, South Korea; Anna Gasser (AUT) jumps in the women's snowboarding big air event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Alpensia Jumping Centre. Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
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