Aspen — Four-time X Games champ Maddie Bowman was featured in a video ahead of the women’s skier superpipe event Friday night, moments before she began an effort to win her fifth.

“One of the goals I have in my career is to get more women involved in skiing and also to help us push our skiing,” she said, her voice booming out over the X Games crowd.

She may have helped facilitate that Friday, but not in the way the way she was hoping.

Marie Martinod, a 32-year old French freestyle skier, laid down a high-flying, fast-spinning first run to score in at 89.33. That held on to win, and for the first time since 2012, someone other than Bowman walked away with X Games gold in the women’s skier superpipe.

Japan’s Ayana Onozuka was second at 87.00, and Bowman ended up third at 86.00.

Bowman, 23, from South Lake Tahoe, California, has dominated the sport since she burst onto the scene as an 18-year old in 2012. She won silver that year, but has been straight golden since, winning all four X Games and the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Neither Martinod nor Onozuka have ever been far behind, however. Both joined Bowman on the podium at the Olympics, and both have multiple X Games podiums. Onozuka’s second-place showing was her third in as many years.

She was happy after the comp to have landed her first-hit 900 in both her runs. The second, she landed high enough to allow for a strong run.

Though she’d have rather it been her on top, she didn’t mind seeing the shakeup in front of her. Asked if she thought someone besides Bowman winning was good for the sport, she first recognized Bowman’s talent, then agreed, through a translator, with a simple, “Yes.”

For Martinod, the difference was both the style and the amplitude she managed on her first run. She soared through back-to-back 540s early in the run, then inverted with back-to-back flairs in the middle of the run, then capped it with her biggest trick of all, a soaring 900.

She knew it was special as soon as she landed, shooting her arms out in celebration as she skidded to a stop and the Buttermilk Resort crowd roared.

Bowman staged a respectable attempt to answer, skiing a more technical run built around back-to-back 900s in the middle. She landed both runs, but couldn’t match Martinod.

The difference was most obvious on that last hit. Bowman struggled to rise out of the pipe. Martinod soared out of it.

Bowman waited for her score at the bottom after her final run, grinning and hanging on to her skis. That smile wavered, and she dropped her skis when the announcement came, but she was smiling again moments later as she offered Martinod a hug.

It was the end of a streak, but maybe a step for the sport.

To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 970-871-4253, email jreichenberger@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @JReich9