Babe of the Month - Big Air Olympic Gold Medal Winner Anna Gasser

Anna Gasser was born 16 August 1991 in Villach, Austria and is an Austrian snowboarder who competes in Slopestyle and Big Air.

Anna started to compete in snowboarding in the 2010/2011 season. Before competing in slopestyle Gasser was part of the Austrian National Gymnastics Team.

In November 2013, Gasser became the first female snowboarder to perform a Cab Double Cork 900 kicker, a double salto backwards with a half-turn

At the FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2013
Gasser finished 18th. Her best World Cup result and the only podium finish before the 2014 Olympics was the third-place finish in Stoneham on 19 January 2014.

Gasser qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics and showed the best result in the qualification round, directly qualifying for the final. However in the Final itself she fell twice and was classified in tenth place.

 Snowboarder Anna in Big Air action!

Gasser has had a great 2017 season. She won Gold in the Big Air event at the Snowboard World Championships in Spain, receiving a score of 100. Gasser also had a successful 2017 X Games, winning Gold in Slopestyle and Bronze in Big Air in Hafjell, and Silver for Big Air in Aspen.

In 2018 Anna went one better than in 2017 and won Gold in the Big Air event at the X Games in Aspen.

Last Thursday Anna Gasser won the first ever Olympic Big Air Final in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Progression was the name of the game in the big air final, and the format created some interesting strategy. Each rider's total score was based on their best two scores (out of three), but those scores had to come from different tricks.

Anna was extremely consistent throughout the competition. She started with a cab double underflip, a trick she's had on lock for a while now, on her first attempt. With a solid score on the board, she then put down a backside double cork 1080 on her second attempt.

Heading into her final run, Anna was sitting in second place, just a few points behind United States rider Jamie Anderson.

"I was standing up there and I knew I had the silver and I only could win," she said. "I was like, 'No, I'm going to go full risk and if it works out then I deserve this medal.'"

That's when Anna landed her cab double cork 1080, which earned a 96 from the judges (the highest score awarded to any individual trick during the final) and vaulted her above Anderson into first place, with 16-year-old New Zealander Zoi Sadowski-Synnott third.

     Anna celebrates winning Olympic Gold in Pyeongchang       

Anderson ended up with a silver medal, but it was nearly a gold. She landed a frontside 1080 on her first run and a cab double cork 900 on her second run to put her in position for a potential win. She attempted to move up to a cab double cork 1080 on her third and final run but was unable to land the trick. She maintained the lead until Anna bumped her down on the very last run of the contest.

Big Air 2018 Winter Olympic Result:

Gold: Anna Gasser (AUT), 185.00 pts

Silver: Jamie Anderson (USA), 177.25

Bronze: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL), 157.50

4. Reira Iwabuchi (JPN), 147.50

5. Sina Candrian (SUI), 140.25

6. Silje Norendal (NOR), 131.50

7. Yuka Fujimori (JPN), 122.75

8. Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN), 119.00

9. Spencer O'Brien (CAN), 113.25

10. Julia Marino (USA), 93.25

You can follow Anna on Facebook and Instagram

The Latest World Cup News

After yesterday's final group games which saw Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Chile book their places in the second round of the 2010 World Cup, we now move straight into the knock-out phase of the tournament.
Today sees Uruguay up against South Korea in Port Elizabeth, whilst the USA take on Ghana in Rustenburg in the late kick-off.

Uruguay are expected to stick with the same line-up that beat Mexico 1-0 in their final group game. Coach Oscar Tabarez may be tempted to bring in defender Diego Godin in place of Mauricio Victorino, who is one booking away from suspension, as are fellow defenders Diego Lugano and Jorge Fucile - BBC Sport

South Korea coach Huh Jung-Moo could drop fullback Cha Du-Ri, who was at fault for Nigeria's opening goal in their 2-2 draw, with Kim Dong-Jin favourite to replace him.
One booking away from suspension are midfielders Lee Chung-Yong and Kim Nam-Il, along with striker Yeom Ki-Hun - BBC Sport

The United States welcome the return of Robbie Findley from suspension after he missed the Algeria victory thanks to two yellow cards picked up in the opening two matches.
Replacing Findley in attack for the game in Pretoria was Herculez Gomez, however with DaMarcus Beasley and Edson Buddle also both available, coach Bob Bradley has options as to who will partner Jozy Altidore up front.
Midfielder Maurice Edu is likely to retain a starting berth after coming in for Jose Francisco Torres - skysports.com

Ghana could be without centre-back Isaac Vorsah for the knockout encounter as the defender struggles to win his fitness battle. Vorsah missed the draw against Australia through injury and was hoping to be in contention for the loss to Germany, however Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac was forced to start him on the bench.
There was better news for fellow first-choice defender John Mensah, who also returned from the sidelines to complete 90 minutes, meaning Ghana may field an unchanged starting XI.
Midfielder Sulley Muntari may come in for Prince Tagoe, despite a 'reported bust-up' with his coach, should Rajevax decide to tinker with his system - skysports.com

The clash between arch-rivals Germany and England rates as one of the glamour fixtures in world football, as both teams gear up for Sunday's last 16 meeting in Bloemfontein.
England's Jamie Carragher could return after suspension at the heart of England's defence replacing Matthew Upson.
Striker Miroslav Klose should return to the German starting line-up after suspension with Cacau making way. Toni Kroos may start in midfield as Bastian Schweinsteiger is doubtful with a thigh muscle injury - Fourfourtwo.com

Brazil will welcome back midfield pair Kaka and Elano for Monday's last 16 encounter against fellow South Americans Chile, in Johannesburg. Kaka served a one-match ban against Portugal while Elano was ruled out through injury - Fifa.com

Spain midfielder Xavi Alonso is a doubt for the World Cup round of 16 showdown with Iberian neighbours Portugal after suffering a sprained ankle in their win over Chile - Goal.com

Japan striker Shinji Okazaki has warned Paraguay that they have "nothing to lose" as they bid for a historic place in the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday.
The Samurai Blue helped Japan to victories over Cameroon and Denmark in Group E to seal their place in the last 16 for the first time ever on foreign soil. Okazaki opened his World Cup account when he came off the bench to score the clincher in the 3-1 win over the Danes on Thursday.
Okazaki's first World Cup goal came as a relief for the 24-year-old, who finished as the world's top international scorer for 2009 with 15 goals. Since the turn of the year, however, he has struggled to match that form, but after getting off the mark on Thursday he is determined to add to his tally in South Africa - Fifa.com

Sven-Goran Eriksson has refused to confirm where his future lies after stepping down as Ivory Coast manager.
His team crashed out of the World Cup in the opening stages after failing to progress from Group G, and now that the Swede's short term deal as coach has ended, he has been linked with a return to club management - Goal.com