Kiwi snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott can't wait to rub shoulders with some of sport's best athletes at the annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday (NZT).
The 18-year-old has been nominated for Best Female Action Sports Athlete, alongside American snowboarder Chloe Kim, Estionian freestyle skier Kelly Sidaru and Australian surfer Stephanie Gilmore, with the Wanaka teen attending the glitzy ceremony.
The ESPY Awards are sport's Oscars, recognising individual and team achievement, and other sports-related performance during the calendar year.
Sadowski-Synnott is one of five New Zealanders nominated, alongside Football Ferns captain Abby Erceg, mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya, IndyCar driver Scott Dixon and the Virginia Cavaliers college basketball team, featuring Tall Blacks centre Jack Salt.
The Olympic bronze medallist has had a whirlwind year that saw her nominated for the award, after claiming a world championship slopestyle title, X Games gold (slopestyle) and silver (big air) medals, and a US Open snowboarding title (slopestyle).
Sadowski-Synnott told Newshub she couldn't wait to walk the red carpet with her mum, sister and aunty, among the biggest names in the world.
"I've got the outfit sorted, a nice dress and heels," she said. "Lots different to wearing snow boots and a jacket, but I'll be hanging out with some of the best athletes in the world, which will be cool.
"I really want to meet Stephanie Gilmore, but I don't think she's coming because she's competing in South Africa, but I'd love to meet her."
Sadowski-Synnott said she still couldn't believe what she'd achieved at such a young age.
"I was never expecting any of it to happen soon. I had this dream and never knew when it was going to happen, but everything came together last season.
"I had a massive support crew, which helped, and following the Olympic bronze, I felt like everything came together and now it just happened."
But she is still determined to win Olympic goal one day.
"That is the ultimate dream goal - to get Olympic gold. It's in my sights, but that's still a few years away for me."
After the ESPY's, Sadowski-Synnott will return to New Zealand for the competitive season and to start preparation for next month's X Games in Norway, where she will compete in the big air discipline.
Newshub.
