Japan, Slovenia win delayed big air finals

The first day of major snowfall finally arrived at the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games on Sunday, 19 January. While it made for a somewhat magical setting at Bardonecchia, this weather was far from ideal for snowboard competitors.

The big air finals were postponed for a few hours due to the extreme conditions, and eventually went ahead with two runs instead of the scheduled three.

In the end, Japan’s Ryoji Fujiya and Slovenia’s Tanja Tinkara Valcl claimed gold in the men’s and women’s events. The silver medals went to France’s Noé Petit and United Kingdom’s Meg Holly Smith, while Germany’s Wolfgang Moritz Breu and Canada’s Amy McCarthy completed the podiums.

Hailing from Japan’s snow paradise of Hokkaido, Ryoji Fujiya secured victory with a narrow margin, scoring 96.00 to beat Petit, who earned 92.25. The 20-year-old winner executed a flawless landing, making it a day to remember. “This competition is very nice! It’s a perfect day for me,” he shared through a team translator, expressing his excitement in the cold waiting area.

Tanja Tinkara Valcl, the women’s champion representing the University of Ljubljana, celebrated not only her newly acquired gold medal but also her recent achievement of earning a master’s degree. “It just feels amazing! I was feeling quite bad this morning and kind of cold, so winning makes it all feel so much better. I’m just happy it’s over,” she said enthusiastically.

The delay posed challenges to both the physical and mental stamina of the athletes. “At first, I thought, ‘I’m not jumping.’ The conditions were tough. But when it’s time to go, you just have to go. In the end, it wasn’t so bad,” explained Valcl, who dominated with a score of 89.5.

Alpine realities

While snowfall is a regular feature of the breathtaking Alps in the winter, it poses unique challenges for young student-athletes. In snowboarding, adverse weather and accumulating snow can disrupt speed control and balance.

“I took a slam during practice, caught my edge, and face-planted into the landing. My last attempt almost stuck, but I’ll land it clean next time,” shared Canada’s Jonah Cantelon, pointing to the blood on his nose as evidence of his struggles. Yet, the philosophy student shared his self-concluded theory. “I’m taking it in stride. For some people, this might be an issue, but I train in these conditions all the time. It’s just another day for me.”

Meanwhile, his Team Canada teammate McCarthy had a more optimistic take on the weather. “This doesn’t really affect me. East coast weather in Canada is like this all the time. So it was easy for me to work through this obstacle and still put down a good run,” said the women’s bronze medallist, who is competing internationally for the first time in Torino.

Despite the challenges, snowboarders conquered the day’s obstacles with resilience and determination.

Snowboard at Torino 2025 resumes on Tuesday, 21 January with the parallel giant slalom.

The take place from 13-23 January. Watch all the competitions live on . Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Boyi Yang, FISU Young Reporter, China

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.