(from L to R) Yoon Jong Hyun of South Korea, Liu Mengting of China, Yang Ruyi of China, Kasamura Rai of Japan, Shin Yeongseop of South Korea and Han Linshan of China celebrate after the Freestyle Skiing men's freeski big air final match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
HARBIN, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Liu Mengting and Rai Kasamura of Japan both clinched their second gold medals in women's and men's freeski events respectively, as they topped the Big Air podium on Wednesday after having won Tuesday's slopestyle events.
The Big Air events had originally been scheduled for Thursday, but were moved forward by one day due to a forecast of strong winds.
Chinese skiers swept the podium of the women's Big Air, as Liu secured gold with 175.50 points, followed by compatriots Han Linshan and Yang Ruyi in second and third places.
"I'm so happy to change the color of my medal," said 18-year-old Han, who had taken bronze in the slopestyle on Tuesday. "Adjusting my speed with the varying winds has always been my weakness, but today I managed to do it well."
The women's competition witnessed a frightening moment when 15-year-old Kanon Kondo fell hard after a jump. The Japanese regained consciousness quickly, and was then taken by the medical team to hospital.
In the men's event, Kasamura dominated with a score of 183.50, while South Korea's Yoon Jong-hyun and Shin Yeong-seop took silver and bronze respectively.
"The wind was very strong today, but I focused on my performance and managed to secure the win," said Kasamura after the competition. ■
Yang Ruyi of China competes during the Freestyle Skiing women's freeski big air final match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)
Gold medalist Liu Mengting (C) of China, silver medalist Han Linshan (L) and bronze medalist Yang Ruyi of China attend the press conference after the Freestyle Skiing women's freeski big air final match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Gold medalist Liu Mengting of China attends the press conference after the Freestyle Skiing women's freeski big air final match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Silver medalist Han Linshan of China attends the press conference after the Freestyle Skiing women's freeski big air final match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Bronze medalist Yang Ruyi of China attends the press conference after the Freestyle Skiing women's freeski big air final match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
