Japanese dominance during the Big Air final in Milan-Cortina
The ice has been broken in Italy. While the world watches the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, yesterday we saw a climax in the Big Air that made even my heart beat faster as a dancer. Japanese snowboarder Kira Kimura secured the gold medal in a final that sizzled with tension until the very last jump. With a monster score of 90.50 in his final run, he showed what 'clutch' performance really means.
In my 30 years of experience in the dance world, I have seen thousands of solos, but the way these athletes control their bodies in the air has so many parallels with what we do on the dance floor. It's about rhythm, the timing of the rotation and – perhaps most importantly – the landing. Kimura stayed ice-cold under the enormous pressure and posted a total score of 179.50, leaving behind his teammate Ryoma Kimata (silver) and Chinese crowd favorite Su Yiming (bronze).
Snowboarding as vertical dance: The technique behind the jump
When you look at the footage of the final, you see more than just an athletic performance. You see choreography. Take the 'Backside rodeo double 14' that came by. To a layman, that sounds like gibberish, but as a dance expert, I see a double backflip combined with immense rotation speed. It requires a body awareness that we also see in the most technical jazz or modern dancers.
According to the latest reports from the BBC, the battle between the Japanese and Su Yiming was a tactical game of chess. Su Yiming, the 2022 champion, attempted the exact same trick as Kimura but made a small mistake on the landing by touching the snow with his hands. In the dance world, we call that a 'sloppy finish', and at this level, it is punished mercilessly. The difference between gold and bronze lies in that last fraction of a second where you must regain control.
The results of the Big Air final:
- Gold: Kira Kimura (Japan) - 179.50 points
- Silver: Ryoma Kimata (Japan) - 171.50 points (estimate based on the 8-point deficit)
- Bronze: Su Yiming (China)
Figure Skating: The Quadruple Axel is still a while away
Besides the action on the slopes, the spotlight also turned to the ice rink for figure skating. This is, of course, the discipline closest to my own passion. 21-year-old American Ilia Malinin, also known as the 'Quad God', made his Olympic debut in the team event. Although he is the only man in history to have landed the quadruple axel, he chose to play it 'safe' yesterday with a triple.
Even with a spectacular backflip – which is a bold choice in an official routine, by the way – he couldn't match Japan's Yuma Kagiyama. Kagiyama scored a whopping 108.67, while Malinin stalled at 98.00. It shows that at the Olympic Games, artistic execution and flawlessness often weigh more heavily than a single extremely difficult element. That is a lesson I always give my students at Miss Salsa: a simple movement performed perfectly touches the audience more than a complicated turn that you only half-land.
Health problems in the Olympic village
However, there is also a downside to these first few days. There are reports of norovirus in the Olympic village. Five players from the Swiss and Finnish ice hockey teams have tested positive. Despite this outbreak, the British Olympic Association (BOA) has decided not to institute an official handshake ban. Dame Katherine Grainger indicated that athletes themselves know how to limit their risks. In an environment you've worked toward for years, hygiene is naturally a top priority. You don't want a stomach flu to shatter your dream after four years of hard training.
What we as dancers can learn from Milan-Cortina 2026
What strikes me most about these first days of the Winter Games is the mental resilience. Whether it's the skiers in the men's downhill – where the Swiss von Allmen took gold according to Xinhua – or the snowboarders in the Big Air; they have to perform at the moment the whole world is watching.
Concretely, I see three things we can translate directly to the dance floor:
- Focus on the landing: No matter how spectacular your jump is, the presentation is only complete when you come to a standstill again.
- Dare to fail: The snowboarders who went 'swinging for the fences', like New Zealander Dane Menzies, didn't make the podium, but their courage commands respect.
- Know your rivals: The healthy competition between the Japanese riders lifts the entire level of the sport. In dance class, also look for someone who challenges you to make that extra turn.
In the coming days, many more medal events are on the schedule. I will continue to follow it, not just for the sport, but especially for the pure expression and physical strength these athletes show. It is and remains a form of art, whether on a wooden floor or on the cold snow of Cortina.