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Sport Nation
Live sport on SN this weekendFrom Prodigy to Veteran: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott leads New Zealand’s next Winter Olympic wave
Sport Nation • January 26th, 2026 11:48 am
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott | Photo: Photosport
Kiwi snow star Zoi Sadowski-Synnott may be just 24 years of age, but she will be leading the charge for the New Zealand team at the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Beijing 2022 slopestyle gold medallist is suddenly the elder stateswoman among a team resplendent with youth - and missing her experienced cohort Nico Porteous, the most decorated men's athlete in New Zealand Winter Olympics history who last year decided to step away from competition.
Inexperience aside, Sadowski-Synnott is confident the upwards trend of Kiwis at the Winter Games will continue in Italy, starting February 7 (NZ time).
"It's incredible," Sadowski-Synnott told Sport Nation.
"It's crazy to think how far New Zealand snow sports has come in the last decade or two and I'm really grateful to be a part of it. It has been insane.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott on leading NZ at the Winter Olympics | Scotty & Izzy
"I'm 24 years old and I'm seen as one of the older people on the team. I'm one of the veterans.
"Most of us live down in Wanaka and were raised down there and I've seen a lot of these of my teammates actually grow up at Cardrona and Treble Cone.
"To share this with them and see a lot of their careers taking off, it's just really cool, really special."
And as one of the favourites to defend her crown in the snowboard slope style crown, Sadowski-Synnott admits she's carrying an extra dose of pressure into the competition - where she'll carry that distinct target on her back which comes along with being the reigning champion.
"It's kind of crazy to think that I'm in this position now coming in having won gold and having a bit more expectation," she adds.
"But being a Kiwi, we're always feeling like an underdog on the world stage. I just want to try and carry that in and not worry too much about the outcome, just show my snowboarding and represent New Zealand as best I can and hope that it's up there again."
The women's slopestyle competition gets underway on February 17.
Listen to the interview below:
