American Sage Kotsenburg (picture) laid down an almost flawless first run to win the first gold medal of the Sochi Games as snowboarding slopestyle made a spectacular Olympic debut yesterday

Kotsenburg’s run, the third of the day, earned him 93.50 points, which proved enough to make him a surprise champion in a low-scoring contest where judges favoured stylists over big jumpers.

“I’m really excited,” said Kotsenburg. “It feels awesome. I don’t know what to call it. I have no idea what’s actually going on. This is the craziest thing that ever happened.”

Staale Sandbech nailed his second run to snatch the silver medal for Norway with 91.75, while Canadian Mark McMorris, who was riding with a broken rib, was awarded 88.75 for his second run to take bronze and round out a podium of 20-year-olds.

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