LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — A generation ago, the sight of an Olympic halfpipe podium drenched in red, white and blue was as common as fresh powder on the mountain — a fitting and expected celebration for a sport born and raised in the United States.

Kokomo Murase completed a golden snowboard Big Air Olympic double for Japan on Monday, after Kira Kimura had won the men's competition on the weekend. X Games champion Murase clinched the gold four years after bronze on her final jump with 179.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — That ever-growing bench of Japanese snowboarders runs deep. Jumps very high, too. The country that has steadily been asserting mastery over the halfpipe took that show to the Winter Olympics big air contest Saturday night,

Hirano is the reigning gold medalist in the event. He also took back-to-back silvers in 2014 and 2018. He can't be completely counted out of the medal race either. He won the first halfpipe event on the FIS World Cup circuit this season.

Here's a running count of the countries that have won medals at the 2026 Winter Games, and which countries have taken home gold in Milan.

The Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Final at the 2026 Winter Olympics is set for Friday, February 13, 2026, at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, where the world’s best riders will compete for Olympic medals after qualifying earlier in the week.

The 2026 Winter Olympics are heating up. Grammy award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion will share the behind-the-scenes of all the happenings at the competitive events in partnership with the NBC Milan Cortina Creator Collective and YouTube, the media company announced on Tuesday, Feb. 10.