2023 Winter XGames
X Games Aspen 2023 is now in the books after three days of thrilling competition. The event, which exists outside of the FIS World Cup ski and snowboard season, saw some remarkable feats and records broken. For the first time ever, a woman landed a triple cork in ski or snowboard competition. In the women’s snowboard halfpipe competition, Gaon Choi became the youngest X Games snowboard halfpipe gold medalist at 14 years and two months old, breaking Chloe Kim’s record. Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris also set a record, becoming the first athlete to win 22 X Games medals, breaking the tie with female snowboarder Jamie Anderson.
The weekend saw some other impressive feats as well. Snowboarder Kokomo Murase, of Japan, hit the first shark fin jump during the women’s snowboard Slopestyle finals and finished in third place. New Zealander and Olympic gold medalist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became the first athlete to win back-to-back X Games gold since Silje Norendal (2014-15).
Friday’s events at the X Games Aspen 2023 were jam-packed with excitement, as many athletes earned medals and set records. In the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle event, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott earned her second consecutive X Games slopestyle medal and proved she is the rider to beat. Australian snowboarder Scotty James also proved he’s the new king of halfpipe with his gold medal, his fifth X Games gold. In the Women’s Ski Big Air event, Canada’s Megan Oldham became the first woman to land a triple cork in ski or snowboard competition, earning her the gold. Silver went to Tess Ledeux, and bronze was earned by Kirsty Muir. In the Ski Knuckle Huck event, Jesper Tjader earned gold, Matej Svancer earned silver, and Colby Stevenson earned bronze. The men’s snowboard superpipe event saw Scotty James take home the gold once again, with Jan Scherrer earning the silver and Valentino Guseli earning the bronze. All in all, Friday’s events at the X Games Aspen 2023 were an exciting start to the competition, as athletes earned medals and set records.
Saturday at X Games Aspen in Colorado was full of surprises and record-breaking performances – the youngest ever X Games snowboard halfpipe winner, the first triple by a female skier or snowboarder in competition, and the first female snowboarder to land a triple in competition. 14-year-old Gaon Choi of South Korea, mentored by Chloe Kim, made history by becoming the youngest X Games snowboard halfpipe winner with her stunning frontside 1080 (three full rotations) melon. Following this, Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi became the first female snowboarder to land a triple in competition with her clean triple underflip frontside grab, and Canada’s Laurie Blouin also landed her own triple. The men’s snowboard big air competition saw a repeat of the previous year’s winner, Marcus Kleveland, defending his gold medal with near-perfect runs including a frontside triple rodeo 1800. In the women’s ski superpipe, Zoe Atkin won gold, followed by Rachael Karker and Svea Irving in silver and bronze, respectively. The men’s ski slopestyle gold went to Colby Stevenson, Mac Forehand came in second, and Ferdinand Dahl in third. In the end, the day was full of impressive performances and a few firsts in the world of snowboarding and skiing. Gaon Choi and Reira Iwabuchi stole the show and made history as the youngest and first, respectively, to achieve these accomplishments. This day will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come.
The 2023 X Games, held in Aspen, Colorado, concluded with some incredible results, as professional snowboarder Marcus Kleveland of Norway took home gold in the Snowboard Knuckle Huck event on Sunday. This was Kleveland’s third gold medal of the weekend, giving him a perfect 3-of-3 record in the X Games. However, Mark McMorris of Canada earned gold in the men’s snowboard slopestyle, breaking his tie with Jamie Anderson to become the winningest Winter X Games athlete with 22 total medals. The night’s other gold medal was awarded to Mac Forehand of the United States in the men’s ski big air competition. Forehand landed a perfect 2160 Cuban grab in his final run, which helped him seal the victory. Outside of those two big winners, the following athletes earned medals in their respective events: Women’s Ski Slopestyle: Gold: Megan Oldham Silver: Mathilde Gremaud Bronze: Kirsty Muir Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle: Gold: Mark McMorris Silver: Marcus Kleveland Bronze: Mons Roisland Snowboard Knuckle Huck: Gold: Marcus Kleveland Silver: Halldor Helgason Bronze: Dusty Henricksen Men’s Ski Big Air: Gold: Mac Forehand Silver: Teal Harle Bronze: Birk Ruud Men’s Ski Superpipe: Gold: David Wise Silver: Birk Irving Bronze: Jon Sallinen The 2023 X Games in Aspen, Colorado ended with some remarkable results and record-breaking moments. Marcus Kleveland of Norway earned gold in the Snowboard Knuckle Huck event to secure a perfect 3-of-3 record for the weekend, and Mark McMorris of Canada earned the gold in the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle, allowing him to become the winningest Winter X Games athlete with 22 total medals. Mac Forehand of the United States earned gold in the Men’s Ski Big Air event, while Megan Oldham (Women’s Ski Slopestyle), David Wise (Men’s Ski Superpipe), and Halldor Helgason (Snowboard Knuckle Huck) all earned silver and bronze medals in their respective events. This was an incredible weekend of snow sports, and it’s sure to inspire many more incredible athletes to come.
Overall, it was a weekend to remember as some of the world’s best athletes pushed the boundaries of freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The X Games Aspen 2023 will be remembered for its incredible feats, record-breaking performances and thrilling competition.
