LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Mari Fukada of Japan clinched the gold medal in women’s snowboard slopestyle Wednesday at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Her winning score of 87.83 came on a strong third run after organizers delayed the event a day due to heavy snow.

Competitors tackled a course packed with rails, jumps and massive air opportunities. Fukada edged out New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, who scored 87.48 on her own third run to take silver. Sadowski-Synnott topped Sunday’s qualifying but settled for second, boosting her total to five Olympic medals — the most for any snowboarder in Winter Games history.

Team USA’s Jessica Perlmutter, at 16 the youngest in the final, finished sixth with 68.18 points from her second run. The event marked the last snowboarding competition of the Milano Cortina Games.

Judging drew sharp criticism during the USA Network broadcast. Commentators questioned why rail sections appeared to outweigh jumps in scoring. One called the marks on Sadowski-Synnott’s decisive run “abysmal,” sparking debate over the balance between technical tricks and big-air amplitude.

Fukada stayed composed amid the weather chaos. Crews cleared fresh powder overnight, allowing the final to proceed under clearing skies. Her run featured clean rail grabs followed by a pair of 1080 spins off the jumps, earning high marks for execution and style from the nine-judge panel.

Sadowski-Synnott, a Beijing 2022 slopestyle gold medalist, pushed hard for a repeat. She opened with a switch frontside 360 on the first rail and linked double corks on the jumps. A slight edge catch on landing cost her the top spot by just 0.35 points.

Perlmutter impressed in her Olympic debut. The Colorado native stomped a frontside nosegrind and back 900, but a conservative third run kept her out of medal contention. Officials praised her poise under pressure.

The slopestyle course in Livigno tested riders’ creativity. Snowboarders dropped in from a start gate, hitting five rail features before six jumps. Top scores rewarded amplitude, difficulty and clean landings.

Japan now claims two slopestyle golds from Milano Cortina, with Fukada joining her nation’s growing tally in freestyle snowboarding. Sadowski-Synnott’s medal haul includes golds from Beijing slopestyle and big air, plus silvers in halfpipe and snowboard cross.

Weather disruptions hit multiple events this week. Strong winds earlier scrapped big air qualifying, but slopestyle proceeded after the snow eased. Athletes and officials hailed the resilient schedule as the Games near their Feb. 22 close.

Fukada celebrated with a Japanese flag lap around the course. She credited her coach for run tweaks post-qualifying. “The delay gave us time to study lines,” she said through a translator. “I’m thrilled for Japan.”

Sadowski-Synnott shrugged off the judging flap. “Scores are scores,” she told reporters. “Mari ripped it. Congrats to her.” Perlmutter added: “Sixth at 16? I’ll take it and build from here.”

The podium capped a snowboarding slate that featured 11 medal events. Nations like the U.S., Canada and Norway dominated overall, but Fukada’s victory highlighted Asia’s rise in the discipline.