The Wanaka snowboarding sensation created history yesterday when she won the country’s first Winter Olympics gold medal, in its 16th appearance, with a dazzling display in the women’s slopestyle in Beijing.]
It is a surreal feeling for those who have watched New Zealand plug away at the Winter Olympics, generally without success.
Annelise Coberger was our first medallist, claiming silver in 1992, and Sadowski-Synnott and Nico Porteous joined that exclusive club when both won bronze in PyeongChang four years ago.
Now, Sadowski-Synnott (20) stands alone.
The snowboarding prodigy had to do it the hard way, too.
A warm favourite heading into the Olympics after dominating the professional circuit in recent times, Sadowski-Synnott was in top spot with a score of 84.51 after a first run that included back-to-back 1080s.
But she stumbled in her second, and American boarder Julia Marino swooped into the gold medal position with an 87.68 in her second run.
After 11 other finalists had their third and final runs, all eyes turned to Sadowski-Synnott, guaranteed a silver but desperate to claim gold.
She threw caution to the wind, compiling a run down the 650m course that was exhilarating and all but faultless.
Then followed a wonderful moment of camaraderie when the New Zealander, Marino and Australian bronze medallist Tess Coady threw their arms around reach other in celebration, not knowing who would be winning gold.
After a brief (but agonising) wait, the judges’ score flashed up: it was a stunning 92.88 for Sadowski-Synnott.
And how did it feel to become New Zealand’s first Winter Olympics gold medallist in 70 years of trying?
"Indescribable."
She said it needed something special to go from silver to gold with her final run.
“It took everything in me to land the last jump,” Sadowski-Synnott said.
Her parents, Sean Synnott and Robin Sadowski-Synnott, were watching at NZHQ, the fan zone in Wanaka, and in awe of their daughter as she delivered when it
counted.
"Everyone’s feeling really good," Mr Synnott said.
"We’re just bloody amazed that she pulled it off when she had such expectation on her."
The medal ceremony was held after midnight (NZ time).
Sadowski-Synnott might not be done.
She is also a strong contender for a medal in the big air competition next week.
