Snowboarder Su Yiming Wins China’s First Gold On Chinese New Year And His Birthday At Winter Olympics

For astir 22-year-olds, a day intends barroom and candles. For Su Yiming, it meant Olympic gold.

Additionally, amid Chinese New Year celebrations — a clip traditionally associated pinch renewal and bully luck — nan young snowboarder delivered a gift not conscionable to himself, but to an full nation. In nan men’s slopestyle last astatine nan Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Su captured Team China’s first gold medal of nan Games.

It was history wrapped successful symbolism: a birthday, a caller lunar year, and a long-awaited breakthrough — each converging connected 1 snow-covered people successful Italy.

Su, who had already secured a bronze successful large aerial earlier successful nan Games, wasted nary clip making his mark. On his very first run, he executed a drawstring of technically demanding tricks crossed rails and ramps, posting 82.41 points — a people that held patient against a stacked world field.

At conscionable 22, he added different section to a profession that began pinch Olympic glory astatine Beijing 2022. But this triumph felt different.

It was Team China’s first golden successful Italy aft near-misses successful snowboarding, freestyle skiing and short-track velocity skating. The unit had been building.

And Su knew it.

“There’s a batch of unit connected nan shoulders for sure, trying to get this golden for Team China. That’s what I’ve been reasoning for truthful galore days aft nan large air,” Su, who won his career-first Olympic golden successful large aerial astatine Beijing 2022, said aft Wednesday’s final.

“I’m truthful fortunate to yet get this done connected my neck. That intends truthful much. Putting this badge connected my neck, it’s truthful heavy, you know?

“I almost forgot nan emotion from 4 years ago. To beryllium capable to get 1 much today, it intends everything to me.

“I’ve been talking astir this goal, this moment, for truthful long. I truthful admit it. To beryllium capable to correspond Team China connected this biggest shape [and] to execute my goal. I consciousness truthful grateful to everybody, my family, my coach, everybody present to support me.

“This won’t hap without you guys,” he added.

At Livigno Snow Park, beneath a clear Italian sky, Su stood connected nan podium arsenic nan Chinese nationalist anthem played. He sang done tears arsenic nan reddish emblem climbed skyward — a segment that resonated acold beyond nan mountains.

Back home, millions were still successful nan midst of Lunar New Year festivities. In galore households, nan symbolism was intolerable to ignore: a young jock entering a caller twelvemonth of life by lifting nan country’s first golden of nan Games.

In nan crowd, Chinese supporters waved banners and photos, their cheers cutting done nan alpine air. It was his 2nd Winter Olympics — but this was a different benignant of coming-of-age.

From teenage prodigy successful Beijing to standard-bearer successful Italy, Su’s travel mirrors nan improvement of wintertime sports successful China itself.

For Su, though, nan triumph was bigger than podiums and points.

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“What’s much important is we’re going to show nan emotion to nan world. Snowboarding is not conscionable astir competing. We’re retired present for fun, we’re retired present for nan sports.”

On a time that marked some individual and taste renewal, his words carried weight.

At 22, Su Yiming didn’t conscionable observe different twelvemonth older. He stepped into it pinch golden astir his cervix — and pinch a federation celebrating alongside him.

A day candle whitethorn flicker out.

But this benignant of New Year glow lingers.