Ayumu Hirano is a Japanese snowboarder that cemented his place as the future face of the sport when he won an Olympic Gold Medal in 2022. At a mere 110 pounds, Japan’s rising son of snowboarding has defied the little-guys-can’t-fly stereotype by boosting huge air, reaching 18-plus feet above the halfpipe lip. His textbook-perfect pumping on the transitions made him a prodigy, drawing comparisons to Shaun White, whose snowboarding dominance began at the same age. The bigger Ayumu goes, the better he feels - as of now, the sky’s the limit.

Hometown: Murakami, Japan

Birthdate: 11/29/1998

Career highlights include:

Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games – Gold (halfpipe)

PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games – Silver (halfpipe)

Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games – Silver (halfpipe)

X Games Aspen 2018 - SuperPipe, 1st

X Games Oslo 2016 - SuperPipe, 1st