After cementing herself as New Zealand's hero of the Beijing Winter Olympics, snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is still coming to grips with her achievements.
Sadowski-Synnott, 20, created Kiwi history during the opening days in Beijing, claiming New Zealand's first gold medal at a Winter Olympics with first place in the snowboard slopestyle event.
Then, on Tuesday, Sadowski-Synnott returned to the podium with another medal, this time a silver in the women's snowboarding big air.
The two medals combined with her big air bronze from Pyeongchang 2018 gives Sadowski-Synnott a full Olympic set.
What's more, with her third medal now locked away, Sadowski-Synnott is responsible for 60 percent of Winter Olympics medals won by New Zealand, with only Annelise Coberger (silver, 1992) and Nico Porteous (bronze, 2018) the only others to have stood on a podium wearing the silver fern.
Sadowski-Synnott says she's still processing what she's achieved in Beijing, as she prepares to depart China as a true NZ sporting great.
"It hasn't sunk in at all," Sadowski-Synnott tells Newshub.
"[I'm] pretty stoked to get all the colours, and can't wait to get all the set together."
While other athletes would be disappointed at failing to claim gold from the same position, Sadowski-Synnott leaves Beijing with no regrets, and only taking positives from the big air.
Sharing the podium with gold medallist Anna Gasser of Austria, and Japan's Murase Kokomo was just reward for Sadowski-Synnott, as part of an outstanding big air field.
"[I'm] super proud. Pretty much every single person in finals was ripping," she adds.
"To see all your mates succeed and land tricks and get everyone stoked, that's what makes it worth it.
"Even if you're not on top, it doesn't matter because you're still having fun with your friends."
But Sadowski-Synnott isn't done yet. Even now as one of the best in her sport, she'll only be 24 years old by the time the next Winter Olympics rolls around in Milan in 2026.
And with time firmly on her side, Sadowski-Synnott has her sights locked on becoming the first New Zealander to win two Winter Olympic gold medals - but not before a well deserved break.
"I'm definitely looking ahead to the next Games, I'd be super stoked to make it to Italy.
"There's still a lot of progression to happen in women's snowboarding, and I hope that I can be part of it.
"But I kind of need to check out for a bit, and enjoy myself. So I'm going to go compete in Canada in Natural Selection. It's more of a fun comp, and see where that takes me and make the most of it."
Join Newshub for live updates of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
