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)

Thousands of Catholic devotees commemorated Good Friday across Latin America with processions and ceremonies re-enacting the crucifixion of Jesus.

In Antigua, a colonial-era city in southern Guatemala, dozens dressed in purple and white robes and made their way under the early morning sun, many of them penitents known as “cucuruchos.” Others carried centuries-old images of Jesus through cobblestone streets.

The city hosts more than a dozen processions throughout Holy Week, set against a backdrop of volcanoes.

Marcos Bautista, 63, said he has attended the Good Friday observances since his father brought him along as a baby in his arms.

“To describe Holy Week in Antigua, there are no words that can capture what it feels like," Bautista said. “It’s a feeling that, just by speaking about what Jesus has done in our lives, moves me deeply.”

In Bolivia, President Rodrigo Paz traveled to the southern city of Tarija to participate in Good Friday ceremonies.

The country is a secular state under its constitution and its leaders refrained from engaging in any religious events between 2006 and 2025. But Paz — who took office last November — broke with precedent by attending Palm Sunday Mass carrying a palm frond.

In the capital city of La Paz, government authorities and military bands accompanied Good Friday processions, in which hooded penitents carried the Holy Sepulcher through the streets.

Bolivia remains a predominantly Catholic country, alongside strong Indigenous spiritual traditions. In some households, it is customary to eat only fish on Good Friday and prepare up to 12 dishes representing the apostles of Jesus, a tradition that has declined in recent years amid an economic crisis.

In Ecuador, where about 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, processions were held across major cities.

In Guayaquil, roughly half a million faithful attended the “Cristo del Consuelo” procession. Amid displays of devotion, some participants walked barefoot, while others wore thorn crowns or dragged crosses.

In the capital, Quito, the “Jesús del Gran Poder” procession drew more than 150,000 faithful, who filled the historic center’s streets with chants and prayers as they accompanied an image of Jesus carrying the cross.

Thousands more climbed the Monserrate Hill in neighboring Colombia. At more than 10,200 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, they reached the summit in the capital city of Bogotá to attend Mass at the basilica. Similar observances, including reenactments of the Stations of the Cross, were held in other parts of the country, including Medellín.

While the share of Catholics in Latin America has declined over the past decade, the faith remains the region’s largest religion.

In several countries, including Mexico, Peru and Argentina, more than 60% of adults still identify as Catholic, according to 2024 surveys by the Pew Research Center and Latinobarómetro.

AP journalists Moisés Castillo in Antigua, Guatemala; Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano and Gabriela Molina, in Quito, Ecuador, contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Penitents from the Nazareno brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus down the steps of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle for a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A hooded penitent from the Nazareno brotherhood waits for the Good Friday procession inside the Cathedral Basilica of St. James the Apostle during Holy Week in Tunja, Colombia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Young women and girls carry jeweled hearts representing the Virgin Mary at a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Hooded penitents participate in a Good Friday procession during Holy Week in La Paz, Bolivia, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A statue of Jesus Christ with a cross makes its way past electric cables at La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Women carry children dressed as penitents knows as "cucuruchos" on the sidelines of La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Penitents carry statues of Jesus Christ representing the Stations of the Cross at a Good Friday procession by La Merced church during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, just before sunrise Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Musicians dressed as Roman soldiers take part in La Merced church's Good Friday procession during Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)