Milano Cortina 2026: Snowboarding Star Fukada Wins Gold in Hard-Fought Battle, Aims to Conquer Greater Heights

By Riki Ozawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

15:39 JST, February 19, 2026

A 19-year-old rising star in snowboarding savored her moment at the summit in the Milano Cortina Olympics on Wednesday. Mari Fukada, victorious after a fierce battle, stood atop the podium with a radiant smile.

“I can’t believe it,” she said. “This was the moment that made me truly feel, from the bottom of my heart, how glad I am to have dedicated myself to snowboarding.”

Fukada started to snowboard seriously at age 13. In December 2022, she clinched a victory in her debut Big Air World Cup event at the age of 15.

She arrived at her first Olympics following a period of remarkable development.

After finishing ninth in the big air event, Fukada shared a meal with Kokomo Murase, who won the gold medal in that discipline. Murase encouraged her, saying, “Let’s take on the slopestyle together,” and the two pledged to give it their all.

Both athletes delivered their best performances to claim medals at the Games.

Murase expressed her desire for the pair to remain at the forefront of the sport. Fukada said, “I want to train hard so we can keep pushing each other [to even greater heights] and surpass who I am today.”

Murase sheds tears despite great run

Murase, who fell short of a double crown at the Games, was still in tears long after the awards ceremony had ended.

“I gave it my absolute best in that run. I thought I might have clinched the gold, but …” she said.

While she had no regrets about her performance, she was overcome with a wave of conflicting emotions.

She took the lead in her first run with 79.30 points but fell during her second attempt. In her third run, she brilliantly connected a frontside triple cork 1260 — consisting of three vertical and three-and-a-half horizontal rotations — as well as two-and-a-half and three-rotation jumps from different takeoffs during a triple-jump sequence.

Murase’s performance was a perfect routine that led her to repeatedly pump her right fist, but her score fell short of Fukada’s. Although she stood stunned after seeing her score, she quickly offered Fukada a smile and words of praise.

With the bronze medal around her neck, a tearful Murase showed her determination. “I want to stay at the top. I’m not giving up yet,” she said.

Looking ahead to the next Games in four years, Murase spoke of her ambition to achieve a double crown. “I want to win two gold medals and return to Japan with a smile,” she said.