OLYMPICS: Snowboard-Su brings China first gold with slopestyle win on his birthday

LIVIGNO, Italy – China’s Su Yiming celebrated his 22nd birthday in style by winning the men’s snowboard slopestyle final at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Wednesday, delivering his country’s first gold medal of the Games.

Su, who won silver in slopestyle at Beijing 2022, secured the title with an outstanding first run, scoring 82.41 under sunny skies in the Alpine town of Livigno. His performance was unmatched by the 11 other competitors.

Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa earned silver with a top score of 82.13, while Jake Canter of the United States took bronze.

Overjoyed, Su shouted and clapped as he realized he had won. Tears streamed down his face as coaches and fellow athletes congratulated him, and he shook his head in disbelief while standing on the medal podium.

When asked how he planned to celebrate his gold, birthday, and the Chinese Lunar New Year, Su smiled. “To have all my friends and family here, I think we are going to have a good time,” he said. “As long as I got this gold, I think all this celebration is going to be insane.”

Contest Delayed by Snowstorm

The slopestyle event had been postponed by a day due to a snowstorm, forcing organizers to adjust the schedule.

Su previously won bronze in the men’s big air last week and had claimed that title four years ago. The 22-year-old admitted he felt “crazy pressure” as the defending champion in that event and also felt the weight of expectations for China on Wednesday. “That’s what I’ve been thinking for so many days after the big air,” he said.

“To be able to get one more today, it means everything to me,” Su added, reflecting on the feeling of winning gold again.

In slopestyle, riders perform tricks on rails and other obstacles, with judges scoring runs based on difficulty and originality. The best score from three runs determines the winner.

Mark McMorris, a three-time Olympic slopestyle bronze medalist, finished eighth after crashing on two of his three runs. The 32-year-old Canadian suffered a concussion earlier in the Games, forcing him to skip the big air event.

“I knew I had what it takes, but I wasn’t able to just put all the pieces together, and that always stings,” McMorris said.

-Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Ken Ferris and Alison Williams/Reuters