Shanxi teenager enters record book with Olympic silver medal

Athlete recently won gold at FIS Freeski and Snowboard World Cup event

Su Yiming, an athlete from North China's Shanxi province, won a silver for snowboard slopestyle on Feb 7 during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, marking the first time that someone from Shanxi has secured a Winter Olympics medal.

It was also the first snowboarding medal won by a Chinese athlete during the Games.

Su's performance was hailed by many as "flawless", as he scored 88.70 points in his second of three runs, becoming the only competitor to perform a triple cork 1800 in Winter Olympics history.

Canada's Max Parrot won the gold medal, scoring 90.96 points overall. Mark McMorris, a fellow Canadian, won the bronze.

Su said it was a precious moment to be able to take part in the Winter Olympics in his home country, to compete with his childhood idols and to stand with them on the podium.

But for the 17-year-old, the sport is never about scores, but rather about having as much fun as possible.

"When I was on the podium hugging Max Parrot and Mark McMorris, it felt unreal. Being able to win a silver medal at my first Winter Olympics on home soil is just unbelievable," Su said after the men's snowboard slopestyle final at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

"When I stood at the starting point up on the mountain and saw everyone was cheering for me, I felt there was nothing to worry about. I knew I had my homeland behind my back."

In the final competition, Su was challenged by global stars that included Canada's Sebastien Toutant, champion of the men's big air at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, and Redmond Gerald from the United States, who was the slopestyle champion of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Slopestyle, also known as snowboard freestyle competition, is an extreme sport. Among the various types of snowboarding competitions, the slopestyle competition has become one of the most enjoyable events due to the long trails and execution of breathtaking tricks.

Snowboarding is a young event in the family of the Winter Olympics. It only entered the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, when there were only four individual events.

At Genting Snow Park, the course is designed in the shape of the Great Wall, which helps to block the high winds from athletes during the events. The top of the course consists of three jib sections where riders show their stylish rail tricks before giving way to three jump sections.

The medal won by Su, the youngest athlete taking part in the slopestyle competition, is a breakthrough for the host country, since it was the first time a Chinese athlete has competed in the event at the Olympics. Su only made his snowboarding World Cup slopestyle debut on Jan 1.

Influenced by his parents, who are skiing enthusiasts, Su began to snowboard when he was just 4 years old.

Su became a professional snowboarder when he was 14 and joined the national team in the same year. He participated in the second National Youth Games in 2019 on behalf of Shanxi, taking home two gold medals. He won a gold medal during the US leg of the FIS Freeski and Snowboard World Cup in January. FIS is short for the International Ski Federation.

Su is known for his performance with difficult tricks and agility. In December 2021, he soared to big air gold at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in the United States, landing a backside 1800 Indy grab and a frontside 1800 tail grab in his first two runs, which had never been done at a FIS competition.

In addition, he was the first to complete a backside 1980 Indy Crail on a snowboard and was certified by Guinness World Records for setting a record in January.

Su will also pose a threat to the top snowboarders at Big Air Shougang, which will start on Feb 14. "I will surely use my best and most difficult tricks at the Big Air," Su said.

The athlete will celebrate his 18th birthday on Feb 18. He said he regards the silver medal he won as his best birthday gift.