Ayumu Hirano, the snowboard halfpipe silver medalist at the last two Olympics and primary Shaun White rival, competed in a top-level contest for the first time in nearly three years on Thursday.
Hirano, a 22-year-old from Japan, won a U.S. Revolution Tour event in Aspen, Colo., against a field of Americans, mostly teenagers, who have never been to an Olympics.
It marked his first top-level event since winning the March 2018 Burton U.S. Open, a month after his second consecutive runner-up finish at the Olympics.
Since PyeongChang, Hirano indicated a bid to qualify for skateboarding’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, like White (who then gave it up a year ago).