Fresh from touching down in Beijing, Kiwi snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott isn't hiding her delight before her quest to bring home New Zealand's first Winter Olympics gold medal.
Arguably one of the biggest names in snowboarding, Sadowski-Synnott represents potentially New Zealand's best chance to win a maiden gold at the Winter Olympics, after taking home bronze as a 16-year-old in PyeongChang four years ago.
What's more, Sadowski-Synnott arrives in Beijing in red-hot form, winning not one but two golds at last month's Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado - finishing top in both snowboard slopestyle and big air.
As one of the first New Zealand athletes to arrive in Beijing, Sadowski-Synnott on Tuesday (NZ time) took her first look at the venue for her events, taking in the experience of another Olympic campaign.
"It's been pretty surreal coming back to the Olympics, but [I'm] stoked to be here," Sadowski-Synnott tells Newshub.
"It's been pretty easy going, and I got to check out the course today, so things are feeling good."
Sadowski-Synnott enters her events as one of the favourites for gold.
At last month's X Games, Sadowski-Synnott landed a frontside double 1080, right into her backside double 1080 to win her slopestyle gold medal - a combination that had never been done before by a woman in a competition.
Her form heading to Beijing also saw fellow gold medal hopeful Nico Porteous describe Sadowski-Synnott as being "literally unstoppable".
But for Sadowski-Synnott herself, the X Games display has only left her hopeful of replicating her heroics on the biggest stage.
"I'm super stoked with how X Games went, and feeling confident on my snowboard and riding good.
"I hope it flows well into this one, I just hope I ride my best and put down my best work.
"Coming into these ones, I just want to put down the run that I set out to do.
"[I] hope it all goes well."
Sadowski-Synnott is one of the first New Zealanders competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, starting on Saturday with qualifying for the women's slopestyle event.
