Olympics: 4 years of intense work lifts Murase to big air pinnacle

LIVIGNO, Italy - In landing both backside and frontside 1440s to claim the women's big air gold medal, Kokomo Murase reaped the reward of her focus on physical training in the four years since becoming Japan's youngest Winter Olympic medalist.

The 21-year-old, who landed the first in-competition 1620 by a woman to win the X Games in late January, had to get her third and final run right in the final in Livigno to improve on the bronze she won four years ago in Beijing.