
BEIJING -- Ayumu Hirano's third Olympic medal came in an even better color than the first two.
Two-time silver medalist Hirano, 23, brought Japan its first gold medal in Winter Games snowboard competition after he won the men's halfpipe at Genting Snow Park on Friday. Hirano has also become the first Japanese athlete to win a medal at three straight Winter Games. He earned Japan's second gold of the Beijing Games after Ryoyu Kobayashi won the men's ski jump normal hill on Sunday.