LIVIGNO, Feb 19 — Teenager Mari Fukada won the Olympic women’s slopestyle at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday to underline Japan’s strength in snowboarding.

The 19-year-old recorded a best run of 87.83 at Livigno Snow Park to claim gold, narrowly ahead of defending champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (87.48).

Another Japanese athlete, Kokomo Murase, who won the big air gold in Italy, finished third.

All the best runs came in the third and final run of a gripping competition.

Japan won four of the 11 golds on offer in snowboarding at the Games, claiming nine medals overall in the sport.

New Zealand’s Sadowski-Synnott, 24, now has five Olympic medals in her collection, including silver in big air in Italy. — AFP