Japanese snowboarder Kokomo Murase, center, stands on top of the podium after winning the women's Big Air World Cup event in Chur, Switzerland, on Oct. 23, 2021. (Kyodo)

       CHUR, Switzerland (Kyodo) -- Japanese 16-year-old Kokomo Murase won the first Big Air snowboarding World Cup event of the season in front of huge crowds in Chur, Switzerland, on Saturday.

       Murase produced two stunning jumps, both efforts the best scores awarded in their respective rounds, for a combined score of 173.75 which put her 23.75 points ahead of Olympic champion Anna Gasser of Austria, who finished second.

       Canada's Jasmine Baird claimed third place on the podium and Reira Iwabuchi, who placed fourth at the Pyeongchang Winter Games in 2018, was seventh.

       Murase pulled off a score of 87.75 by landing a double cork 1080, which is made up of two full flips and three rotations, on her first run and 86.00 on her second run to finish top among the eight competitors in the women's Big Air final.

       "It's the first time I've won so it makes me really happy. This will lead to the next (win)," Murase said.

       "The winds were strong and the jump was very challenging," she said.

       Home favorite Jonas Boesiger won the men's event.

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