BEIJING, China — Olympic champion Jamie Anderson wiped out on her first two jumps in qualifying for women's snowboard big air and failed to crack the finals field, while American teammate Julia Marino dropped out after a distressing fall during practice over the weekend.
Longshot countrymate Hailey Langland will be the only American in the finals that air Monday night in the U.S. after grabbing the 12th and final spot.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, of New Zealand, who won gold in women's slopestyle, was the top finisher in the big air qualifiers, followed by Kokomo Murase and Reira Iwabucki of Japan.
Anderson said life for Team USA in the Olympics' pandemic bubble has been difficult on her mental health, adding that she's “excited to go home.”
The 31-year-old came to China as a two-time defending champion in slopestyle and won silver in big air at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
This time around, Anderson finished ninth in slopestyle, while Marino, 24, took silver – the United States' first medal of the Olympics.
Marino's hometown is in Westport, Connecticut, but she currently lives and trains in Breckenridge.
Langland, 21, of San Clemente, Calif., is at her second Olympics after finishing sixth in slopestyle and 14th in big air at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Jennifer Campbell-Hicks contributed to this report.
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