On the evening of December 8 Beijing time, the six-star event of the World Snowboard Tour (WST)—the 2012 FISE Beijing World Snowboard Big Air competition—concluded at the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest). Following four fierce rounds, 16-year-old Japanese rider Yuki Kadono unquestionably took home the championship ring by landing the first-ever triple cork 1440 (three flips while rotating four times in midair) in FISE history, becoming the first Asian rider to win the FISE. Kadono also secured the championship in this year’s newly introduced "Red Bull Airtime" competition segment with a hang time of 3.466 seconds.
Champion Yuki Kadono performing aerial tricks
This year’s FISE Beijing stop attracted 22 top riders from 12 countries worldwide. The four-round competition followed a single-elimination format to determine the top 16, quarterfinalists, semifinalists, and ultimately the champion. Starting from the second round, judges used advanced electronic timing devices to measure each rider’s flight time (accurate to one-thousandth of a second) after takeoff. The rider with the longest hang time among all those who landed cleanly would win the "Red Bull Airtime" segment and a $5,000 prize.
At 4:30 PM, the first round began. After head-to-head battles, aside from last year’s FISE Beijing champion Urs Rebagliati unexpectedly being eliminated, the other 12 seeded riders performed steadily and advanced smoothly. In the second round, they began showcasing high-difficulty tricks such as Backside Double Cork 1260 Mute and Cab 1260 Melon, officially kicking off the "Red Bull Airtime" battle. "This is a really fun segment—we’re also curious to see how long we can actually stay in the air," said 2010 FISE Beijing champion Sebastian before the competition. When the live screen started displaying each rider’s real-time hang time, the audience not only screamed at the riders’ stunning midair maneuvers but also erupted in cheers whenever a longer hang time was recorded. Although no rider surpassed 3 seconds in this round, that brief window was enough for them to complete impressive 1260-degree rotations.
Champion Yuki Kadono soaring through the air
At 7:30 PM, the quarterfinals officially commenced. Amid the deafening cheers of the crowd, Japanese prodigy Yuki Kadono, after his first jump, displayed a hang time of 3.153 seconds on the electronic timer—the first time any rider broke the 3-second barrier in the entire competition. Thanks to his lengthy airtime, Kadono had ample opportunity to execute tricks, earning a high score of 92.33 with a Backside Double Cork 1260 Mute and jumping to first place. Then, in his second jump, he broke his own record with a hang time of 3.466 seconds, maintaining that mark until the end. Norwegian rider Torgeir Bergrem, though achieving the longest hang time of the round at 3.770 seconds, had his score invalidated due to a fall upon landing.
Japanese rider Yuki Kadono winning the FISE championship
After three elimination rounds, the "super final" among the top four finally commenced. Norwegian Torgeir Bergrem got off to a strong start, scoring 92 points on his first jump to take the lead over the other three, including Kadono. The competition became increasingly thrilling from there. Before the final two jumps, everyone thought the championship was already in Bergrem’s grasp. But Finnish rider Pyry Pelkonen stunned the crowd with a flawless Cab 1260 Melon, scoring 93.33 and drawing spontaneous standing ovations and applause. Dramatically, in the very last jump of the competition, Kadono pulled off yet another "comeback." With an ultra-difficult Backside Triple Cork 1440 Mute (four rotations with three flips in midair), he scored a competition-high 97.67 points, pulling off a last-minute victory. After his perfect landing, the entire Bird’s Nest erupted in excitement. As the youngest competitor in the event, 16-year-old Kadono excitedly said, "I can’t believe I pulled off that super difficult trick." Since none of the four finalists in the three final jumps broke Kadono’s previous hang time record, he not only took home the FISE championship ring and medal but also the "Red Bull Airtime" award.
Red Bull Airtime Award ceremony
In a post-competition interview, Kadono, holding the "Red Bull Airtime" medal in his left hand and wearing the FISE championship ring on his right, said excitedly, "Winning the championship makes me incredibly happy—I still can’t believe I achieved such great results. Although the process was tough, having confidence at crucial moments helped me perform steadily. Of course, landing such a high-difficulty trick was also thanks to having enough airtime."
2012 FISE podium finishers, with Japanese rider Yuki Kadono (center) winning the championship
FISE (Air & Style), as a competition focused on big air tricks in snowboarding, scores riders based on their midair maneuvers and techniques after high-speed runs—since each rider gets only one jump per run, it's truly a "one-jump, one-chance" format. "Therefore, the longer a rider stays airborne, the more time they have to showcase their tricks, and the higher their chances of scoring well," FISE founder Andrew told reporters after the event. "The introduction of the Red Bull Airtime segment provides both riders and spectators with a fresh perspective to understand and appreciate the competition—a very successful innovation."