ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br/> <br />American Sage Kotsenburg 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 on Saturday.<br/> <br />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 favored stylists over big jumpers.<br/> <br />In a news conference on Saturday afternoon, Kotsenburg told reporters his win felt surreal.<br/> <br />The American's score of 90.5 was enough to put him through to the final and confirmed that the absence from his routine of a "triple" - the trademark trick of the top X-Games riders - was not going to hurt his chances.<br/> <br />Before his run, Kotsenburg said he consulted his coach and called his brother about incorporating some new tricks into his routine.
