Standing at the top of the mountain for her final run of the women's slopestyle final, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott knew exactly what was required of her.
As the top qualifier, the 20-year-old Kiwi was the last name on the run list, so, no matter what the situation, her final run would dictate her result.
And in this case, Sadowski-Synnott needed to send it. Counting an 84.51 from her first run, the Kiwi had the silver medal in the bag, but if she could better an 87.68 set by the USA's Julia Marino, she would be going home with a gold medal.
She had already had an incomplete ride - going down on her second run. With one final attempt on the course, she needed to go big - and did she ever.
Dropping a flawless run before being swarmed by Marino and Australia's Tess Coady, Sadowski-Synnott waited as the judges announced her score - 92.88 and a gold medal.
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New Zealand's first gold medal at the Winter Olympics, plenty of people around the world were quick to jump at the opportunity to share their congratulations for the young Kiwi and the sportsmanship shown by the athletes.
— Jashvina Shah (@icehockeystick) February 6, 2022
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 6, 2022
— Callum Mckenzie (@C0ACH_Cal) February 6, 2022
— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) February 6, 2022
— Grant Robertson (@grantrobertson1) February 6, 2022
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) February 6, 2022
— James McOnie (@JamesMcOnie) February 6, 2022
Marino claimed silver, while Coady took out the bronze with a score of 84.15.
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It was a watershed moment for the country. After sending 141 athletes to 16 Olympics since 1952, New Zealand finally struck Winter Games gold.
