Takeru Otsuka

Big air, big style, that’s what defines Takeru Otsuka’s riding. Exploding onto the scene when he was just 17 years old, in 2018 he lit up the scene, notching multiple FIS event wins and making the finals in his first Burton US Open slopestyle appearance. That same year he went on to compete at X Games Norway, where Otsuka won both the qualifier then went on to make the finals and become the youngest snowboarder ever to win X Games Men’s Snowboard Big Air gold.

Just getting started, Otsuka has since made multiple podiums at X Games Big Air events. Inevitably, with the success comes adversity and in May of 2019 he broke his femur and was forced to take the winter of 2020 off to continue healing.

Bouncing back better than ever, Otsuka made a triumphant return to competition, finishing in the top ten of both Big Air and Slopestyle at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

Otsuka continues to be a podium threat in any event he competes in. Most often he can be found on the World Cup circuit traveling with his fellow countrymen from the Japanese National Team.