'I hope I can keep my head': Zoi on going for double gold

Sadowski-Synnott pulled off a near-faultless final run to jump into the gold medal position....
Sadowski-Synnott pulled off a near-faultless final run to jump into the gold medal position. Photo: Getty Images
History making Zoi Sadowski-Synnott believes momentum can take her to a second Winter Olympic gold medal, but only if she can come down from winning the first.

New Zealand's first Winter Olympics gold-medal winner said she will need to regather herself for the big air competition, the event she won bronze in at the 2018 Games.

But she sounded confident of landing another gold medal early next week after her slopestyle triumph in Beijing.

"I feel like I'm a bit of a momentum competitor - every season where I start well, it carries through," she said.

"Hopefully I can take that into the big air. But this will be a hectic come down - I hope I can keep my head in it."

Sadowski-Synnott's growing world star-status has seen her Instagram followers jump from about 84,000 to 113,000 in a day.

The newly-crowned Olympic slopestyle champion is hoping to inspire another generation of snow athletes, but she says the sport could be very different by the time they get to the top.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. Photo: Getty Images
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. Photo: Getty Images
Sadowski-Synnott could feel the "waves of support" coming from New Zealand and the Wanaka star was flattered at being called the 'Flying Kiwi' on social media.

The 20-year-old knew she had made history from the moment of landing her third and final run in Beijing.

"I knew if I landed that run I'd come away with gold. It was complete elation because it took so much to put that last one down," she said.

It propelled her past the United States' Julia Marino and into the Kiwi sports pantheon, but at the age of just 20 she obviously has a long way to go.

And so does a sport that she is playing a huge part in re-shaping with more extreme moves.

"When I was younger I looked up to female snowboard Olympians before me and I hope to have that same impact on the younger generation," said Sadowski-Synnott.

The tremendous camaraderie between the competitors was obvious during her victory and they are pushing each other to new extremes.

Sadowski-Synnott said: "It's come pretty far and it's exciting to be part of it.

"Every single event I feel every girl is getting pushed harder and harder, aiding the progression.

"It's exciting to see where the next few years takes us. It's not slowing down. There's no limit at the moment."