Three-time Olympian Sena Tomita (JPN) made history as The Snow League’s inaugural Season One snowboard World Champion. She set the tone early, winning the first-ever event at Aspen Snowmass with eight crucial head-to-head victories and held the points lead throughout the season.
Tomita mastered The Snow League’s unique format from the start. In Aspen, the regular-footed snowboarder earned a 91.50 in her second semifinals run against Gaon Choi (KOR), in what would be the head-to-head battle of the day dropping in from the right wall—her less natural side, but a requirement of the unique Snow League competition format. While many athletes worked throughout the season to perfect runs on their “other” wall, Sena arrived ready to compete on both sides of the halfpipe. In the tiebreaker third run, Tomita upped her score to an unbeatable 93 to advance.
She then delivered another 90s score in her first finals run, posting a 91.25 on her preferred left wall to defeat Maddie Mastro (USA) in another matchup that went all the way to a third run tiebreaker.
Her takeaway after this crucial Aspen victory proved prescient: “This feels like the start of something big!”
Tomita capitalized on her favorable seeding in qualifying to advance and ultimately earn valuable points across all four Season One events. Following her Aspen victory, she placed fourth in China and third at the third event of the season in Aspen. Her consistent results kept her atop the overall standings throughout the season, establishing her as the athlete to beat.
At the final event at LAAX, she missed advancing past the quarterfinals after losing to Mitsuki Ono (JPN) who was her closest competitor ranked second in the standings. But when Ono fell to Sara Shimizu (JPN) in the snowy semifinals, Tomita’s points advantage proved insurmountable, securing her the inaugural Snow League Championship title.
A victorious Tomita threw her hands up in celebration at the bottom of the halfpipe. In a broadcast interview, she told viewers she was proud of the consistency that carried her through the season. While she would have preferred to clinch the title with a decisive win, she was happy her season-long efforts had paid off.
Tomita adds the title to an already impressive résumé that includes an Olympic bronze medal at Beijing 2022 and X Games gold, further cementing her status as one of halfpipe snowboarding’s elite competitors.
Now the question is whether Tomita can take an early points lead again and hold on to the title in Season Two? She’ll face a formidable challenge from a deep women’s field, led by a rising generation of talent. Sixteen-year-old Shimizu joined The Snow League for the final two events of Season One and won both, while 15-year-old Patti Zhou (CHN) is set to compete for the full season after claiming victory in China. Freshly-minted Olympic gold medalist Choi will also be chasing the top of the podium, alongside established contenders Ono and Mastro, who finished second and third in the Season One overall standings. With so much talent in the field, Tomita’s path to defending her title will be anything but easy.
SEASON ONE WORLD CHAMPIONS
