Japan’s Ogiwara tops qualifying for men’s big air as snowboarding kicks off at Olympics

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Japan's mastery in snowboarding might very well go beyond the halfpipe.

Hiroto Ogiwara finished at the top of the scoreboard in qualifying for big air Thursday night —- making the 20-year-old a legit gold-medal contender at the 2026 Winter Olympics for the country that boasts the reigning halfpipe champion, Ayumu Hirano, among its growing stable of top riders.

Ogiwara said his father was a snowboarder “and I was always a jumper, naturally,” so big air, where the jumps can range up to 20 meters (65 feet) high, made more sense for him.

Ogiwara smashed the record books for snowboarding at the 2025 X Games when he landed the first 2,340-degree jump (six-and-a-half rotations) in competition.

As for Hirano, who is seven years older, Ogiwara said, “I always looked up to him. He's a legend of Japanese snowboarding.”

A legend who may soon have company.

While Ogiwara finished atop the scoreboard with 178.5 points from his best two runs, an Italian was right behind him.

Home favorite Ian Matteoli was second with 174.5 points, giving the Italian fans a reason to cheer as the snowboarding events kicked off at the Milan Cortina Games.

Kira Kimura of Japan was third with 173.25, ahead of reigning gold medalist Su Yiming of China in fourth with 172.25.

Only one American, Oliver Martin, was in the top 12 to advance to Saturday’s final after finishing ninth.

Big air consists of one single jump off a huge ramp, where the rider varies spins, flips and holds of the board. The Livigno ramp peaks at over 40 meters (yards), sending the riders soaring down a landing slope that was lit by floodlights for the nighttime event.

Riders jump three times in qualifying. Their top two jumps are combined for a final score while the worst jump is dropped.

Big air is the third of the snowboarding park events along with the halfpipe and slopestyle course. Livigno, a small skiing town nestled in a snow-covered valley in the Italians Alps, will also host the freestyle skiing aerials and moguls.

AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Italy's Ian Matteoli reacts during men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Italy's Ian Matteoli competes in men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Japan's Hiroto Ogiwara competes in men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Japan's Hiroto Ogiwara competes in men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Japan's Hiroto Ogiwara competes in men's snowboard big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Investigators have no proof that the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is still alive but are holding out hope she's “still out there,” a sheriff in Arizona said Thursday.

Five days into the desperate search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, authorities have not identified any suspects or persons of interest, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

DNA tests showed blood found on Guthrie’s front porch was a match to her, the sheriff said. Authorities think she was taken against her will from her home in Tucson over the weekend.

“Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home,” Nanos said at a news conference. The sheriff, however, acknowledged that authorities have no evidence she's OK.

Investigators gave a more detailed timeline from the hours after she was last seen Saturday night, and said they are taking seriously a ransom note sent to a handful of media outlets.

The note included a demand for money with a deadline set for Thursday evening and a second one for Monday if the first deadline wasn't met, said Heith Janke, the FBI chief in Phoenix. The note also had details about a floodlight at Guthrie's home and an Apple watch.

“To anyone who may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma,” Janke said.

Authorities say any decision on ransom demands ultimately is up to the family.

A day earlier, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings released a message to her mother’s kidnapper, saying they are ready to talk but want proof their mom is still alive. However, there's been no response to their plea so far, Janke said.

Nancy Guthrie spent Saturday night eating dinner and playing games with family members before one of them dropped her off at her home in a well-to-do Tucson neighborhood that sits on hilly, desert terrain, the sheriff said.

About four hours later, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, the home’s doorbell camera was disconnected, Nanos said. But Guthrie did not have an active subscription so the company was unable to recover any footage.

Software data recorded movement at the home minutes later, the sheriff said, acknowledging that the motion could have come from an animal.

Then at 2:28 a.m. the app on Guthrie’s pacemaker was disconnected from her phone.

Guthrie was reported missing shortly before noon Sunday after she didn’t show up at a church.

While she is able to drive and her mind is sharp, the sheriff said she does have difficulty walking even short distances. She also requires daily medicine that's vital to her health, he has said.

A sheriff’s dispatcher said during the search Sunday that Guthrie has high blood pressure and heart issues, according to audio from broadcastify.com.

Investigators searched in and around Nancy Guthrie’s home again for several hours Wednesday.

Authorities are bringing more resources and people into the investigation, and the FBI announced Thursday it was offering up to $50,000 for information. A day earlier, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was directing federal authorities to help where they can.

At least three media organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes, which they handed over to investigators. Authorities made an arrest after a ransom note turned out to be fake, the sheriff said.

One note e-mailed Monday to the KOLD-TV newsroom in Tucson included information that only the abductor would know, anchor Mary Coleman told CNN.

“When we saw some of those details, it was clear after a couple of sentences that this might not be a hoax,” she said in an interview aired Wednesday.

The sheriff said investigators have believed from the beginning that Guthrie was targeted, but they don’t know whether that was because her daughter is one of television’s most visible anchors.

Savannah Guthrie has hosted “Today” — NBC’s flagship morning show — for more than a decade and had been set to co-anchor the network’s coverage of Friday's opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics.

Guthrie's three children say they're “ready to talk” to whoever sent the notes.

“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us,” Savannah Guthrie said while fighting off tears.

With her voice cracking, she addressed her mother directly, saying the family was praying for her and that people were looking for her.

Guthrie was flanked by her sister Annie and her brother Camron.

“Mamma, If you’re listening, we need you to come home. We miss you,” Annie Guthrie said.

Billeaud reported from Phoenix and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Darlene Superville in Washington; and Julie Walker in New York contributed.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos updates media on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Ariz., on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks at a news conference, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz., to provide updates in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

Law enforcement officers are present outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, near Tucson, Ariz., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Sejal Govindarao)

FILE - Savannah Guthrie arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

This image provided by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a missing person alert for Nancy Guthrie. (Pima County Sheriff’s Department via AP)