Japan’s rise has been systematic, with a deep talent pool, while the United States struggled to find a clear successor to Shaun White.

Team USA's Alessandro Barbieri, a 17-year-old snowboard prodigy, made his Olympic debut on Wednesday. Here's how he did. (AP Photo)

US superstar Chloe Kim said "muscle memory" had kicked in as she began her quest for a historic Olympic women's snowboard hat-trick on Wednesday by topping qualifying at Livigno Snow Park.Muscle memory is a thing.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — That ever-growing bench of Japanese snowboarders runs deep. Jumps very high, too. The country that has steadily been asserting mastery over the halfpipe took that show to the Winter Olympics big air contest Saturday night,

By Lisa Richwine LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 11 (Reuters) - American snowboarder Chloe Kim cruised into the halfpipe finals at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday, showing off high-altitude tricks to easily lead the field as she moved a step closer to claiming a third straight gold medal.

Australian snowboarder Cam Bolton suffered a broken neck in an accident while training at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Justin Reiter is a rarity in snowboarding. He is an American who made his career carving curves into the snow banks at high speeds, instead of launching his board airborne from the halfpipe.