China's Yang Wenlong made history at the FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Austria this weekend, landing his first-ever World Cup gold with a jaw-dropping final trick! 🚀 The 25-year-old stunned crowds in Kreischberg by executing a flawless backside 1980 Japan – spinning five full rotations mid-air – to snatch victory from reigning champ Taiga Hasegawa of Japan. 🏔️
📊 Yang's final 96.50-point run edged out Hasegawa by just 2.25 points in a nail-biting showdown. 'This feels like the payoff for years of training,' Yang told reporters post-event, still breathless from his podium-topping performance. 🎤
Meanwhile, Austrian legend Anna Gasser proved age is just a number 🤘, becoming the oldest athlete ever to win a FIS Snowboard World Cup event at 32. Her 167.75-point victory in the women's final left Japanese silver medalist Reira Iwabuchi and German teen phenom Mia Brookes trailing in her snow-dust. ❄️
The event sets the stage for an epic showdown at the 2026 Winter Olympics – with Yang now firmly on everyone's radar. 👀
