Monster Energy’s Freeski and Snowboard Athletes Bring the Heat and Make Action Sports History on Day 2 of X Games Aspen 2023

Monster Energy’s 14-Year-Old Rookie Gaon Choi Makes History as Youngest Competitor to Win Snowboard SuperPipe Gold and First South Korean Athlete to Earn a Gold Medal at X Games

“Coming out here in bad weather, you just had to give it your best shot and just go for it out there. It was crazy!” – Colby Stevenson

ASPEN, Colo. (PRWEB)
January 29, 2023

The medal run is unstoppable! Monster Energy congratulates its team of freeski and snowboard athletes on history-making performances on the second day of X Games Aspen 2023. On Saturday, Monster Energy riders claimed a total of six medals (two gold, one silver, and three bronze) across five contest events at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass, Colorado.

Monster Energy struck gold on the first event of the day when 25-year-old Colby Stevenson put down a perfect run to claim the win in Jeep Men’s Ski Slopestyle. In a major upset, 14-year-old rookie Gaon Choi made history as the youngest competitor to take Snowboard SuperPipe gold and the first Korean athlete ever to earn a gold medal at X Games.

Here are the highlights for Team Monster Energy on day two of X Games Aspen 2023:

Jeep Men’s Ski Slopestyle: Monster Energy’s Colby Stevenson Clinches the Win, Norway’s Ferdinand Dahl Powers into Third Place

The first gold medal of the day was a tough battle against inclement weather in the Jeep Men’s Ski Slopestyle final. The 42-minute jam session was overshadowed by poor visibility and snowfall that slowed down the course more and more as time progressed.

Rising to the challenge, 25-year-old Colby Stevenson from Park City, Utah, put down a perfect run on his first attempt to take an early lead. The Team USA skier then dialed up the difficulty on his second run to finalize his victory. Stevenson’s highlights in the rail section included backside 360 switch up continuing 270 and rightside 450 pretzel 270. In the jumps, he impressed the judges with a switch leftside double 1080 safety, switch rightside double 1260 safety, and left double 1620 stalefish for the win.

“Coming out here in bad weather, you just had to give it your best shot and just go for it out there. It was crazy!” said Stevenson upon winning Men’s Ski Slopestyle gold at X Games Aspen 2023. Speaking on his competitors, he added: “They’re the best people I know in the world. It’s an honor to ski with all of them.”

Stevenson won gold in Slopestyle and Big Air in his X Games debut in 2020. He now owns four X Games medals (three gold, one bronze). He also earned nine World Cup podiums in slopestyle since 2017 and brought home silver in Big Air at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Also showing his grit under tough conditions, 24-year-old Ferdinand Dahl from Oppegaard, Norway, briefly bumped Stevenson from the top spot on his second attempt. Ultimately, he walked away with the bronze medal and managed to stoke fans with two perfect runs.

Despite the tough course conditions, Dahl put down a 450 to forward, rightside flair 450 in the rail section. The Norwegian also stomped perfect airs such as huge switch rightside bio alley-oop double cork 1260 safety, left double bio 1080 safety, and right double bio safety 1440. Dahl now owns three X Games medals (one silver, two bronze).

Monster Energy Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe: Gaon Choi Claims Historic Gold for South Korea

Entering the Monster Energy Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe final as the youngest competitor at X Games Aspen 2023, Gaon Choi from Seoul, South Korea, proceeded to etch her name into action sports history. The 14-year-old rookie, who trains with snowboard icon Chloe Kim, faced the world’s best in her X Games debut but soared above the competition like a veteran.

In the jam session judged on overall impression, Choi took the lead right out the gate with a first run featuring two 720 rotations. When she was bumped from the top spot by American Maddie Mastro, Choi gradually increased her trick difficulty, opening her second run with a switch backside 540 mute and adding back-to-back 900s to regain the top position.

In her third run, the teenage phenom cemented her victory by stringing together a switch backside 900 mute, Cab 720 melon, frontside 900 melon, and backside stalefish 900 on the last wall. Her fourth and final run was equally flawless and shut down the competition once and for all.

Taking home the gold medal, Choi made history as the youngest Women’s Snowboard Superpipe gold medalist at age 14 years and two months. The previous record was held by her mentor, Kim, who was 14 years and eight months when she first won the discipline at X Games Aspen 2015.

“I am so happy!” said Choi upon winning Monster Energy Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe at X Games Aspen 2023.

Choi also sets the record as the first athlete from South Korea to claim gold at an X Games event. Before stepping into the pro leagues, Choi won the 2022 World Junior Snowboarding Championships and was undefeated across four amateur-level halfpipe events on the 2022 FIS Revolution Tour. The future has arrived!

Monster Energy Women’s Ski SuperPipe: Monster Army Rider Svea Irving Clinches Bronze

As they say, anything can happen at X Games! For proof, look no further than Saturday night’s Monster Energy Women’s Ski SuperPipe final that saw a Monster Army amateur rider rise all the way to the podium: On the final run of the session, 20-year-old Svea Irving from Winter Park, Colorado, boosted into bronze medal position.

Raised in the Monster Army athlete support program, Irving made her X Games debut at Aspen 2022 and finished in seventh place. This year, she found herself dealing with difficult weather conditions on the Aspen SuperPipe on Saturday night, as constant snowfall challenged riders to send their best runs.

But on her fourth and final run of the final, Irving found her groove and strung together a perfect routine. Propelled into the pipe by a ‘slingshot’ speed boost from her Team USA coaches, Irving started with a huge left alley-oop flatspin 540 Japan, left 900 safety, left alley-oop 360 safety, switch left 360 Weddle grab, right 540 safety, and left 540 safety for third place in a stacked field.

Bronze marks Irving’s first X Games medal. Irving has been part of Team USA Freeski since 2018. Her brother, Birk Irving, is a decorated freeskier, and Svea grew up riding moguls before switching to halfpipe at age 10.

Pacifico Women’s Snowboard Big Air: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Lands Never-Been-Done Switch 1260, Claims Silver Medal

Saturday night in Aspen kicked into high gear with the Pacifico Women’s Snowboard Big Air final. While the day’s constant snowfall posed put a damper on halfpipe and slopestyle events, the 70-foot Big Air jump was running smoothly. With overall trick difficulty running at an all-time high, the rider to watch was defending Big Air gold medalist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, who faced the heaviest field the discipline had ever seen.

As the session progressed, Sadowski-Synnott laid a solid foundation for a winning score by posting a switch backside 900 mute for 27 points. Next, she had a special trick up her sleeve that no woman had ever landed in competition. And she brought it for the Aspen crowd: On her second attempt, Sadowski-Synnott landed a perfect switch backside 1260 to engrave the trick into X Games history – and earn a score of 44 points!

Supplementing her score, she unleashed a backside 1260 melon grab for 42 points, bringing her total score to 86.00 points. When all was said and done, Sadowski-Synnott earned a strong silver medal finish behind Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi, a single point ahead in first place with 87.00 points. Talk about a close call…

Sadowski-Synnott now owns nine X Games medals (five gold, three silver, and one bronze). In 2022, she earned Slopestyle gold and Big Air silver at the Beijing Olympics and was celebrated as New Zealand’s first Winter Olympics gold medalist.

Pacifico Men’s Snowboard Big Air: Su Yiming Claims Bronze as Historic First for China

The last event of Saturday night, Pacifico Men’s Snowboard Big Air ended day two of X Games Aspen 2023 on a high note. In a showcase of next-level progression, the eight finalists gave the crowd a celebratory air show. The Big Air session was the time to shine for 18-year-old Chinese rookie Su Yiming from Jilin City, who missed X Games Aspen 2022 because of Covid-19 lockdown.

Yiming made up for lost time in the Big Air session over the 70-foot gap jump. Focused on sending only his A-game tricks over the massive booter, Yiming spent his attempts blasting a frontside 1800 frontside grab, ultimately landing the five rotations for 39.00 points while the session escalated, and riders raised the bar to new heights.

Instead of playing it safe, Yiming used his remaining attempts in the final to put everything on the line for a single trick that could catapult him to the podium. And it worked: On the final try, Yiming made history by putting down a clean backside quad cork 1980 Indy and clinched the bronze medal with a final score of 87.00 points.

In his rookie debut at X Games, Yiming became the first male athlete representing China to claim a medal. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Yiming claimed the gold medal in Snowboard Big Air and the silver medal in Snowboard Slopestyle. He also took first place in Big Air at FIS World Cup Steamboat in December 2021.

Stay tuned for more X Games Aspen 2023! For the first time this year, all events will stream live for free on the official X Games YouTube channel and Twitch.

Visit http://www.monsterenergy.com for exclusive updates from X Games Aspen 2023, including photos, videos, and contest results as they happen. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok for exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at Buttermilk Mountain.

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About Monster Energy

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.