Birthday boy Su Yiming wins China's first gold of Winter Olympics

China's snowboarding sensation Su Yiming delivered himself a perfect birthday gift and gave his fans a terrific Chinese New Year's present when he won Team China's first gold medal at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Wednesday in the men's slopestyle final.

The young phenom, who won a bronze medal in the big air event on Feb 7, lived up to the high expectations of the Chinese delegation by performing a series of technically challenging tricks on rails and via ramps to earn 82.41 points from his first run. He eventually finished ahead of a strong field to win his first gold in Italy on the day he turned 22.

It was Team China's first gold in Italy, after having narrowly missed out on multiple chances to win the top prize in snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and short-track speed skating events in Italy.

An emotional Su cried singing his national anthem while witnessing the red flag ascending into clear sky at Livigno Snow Park, before acknowledging a loud crowd of Chinese supporters, who waved his photos and banners in celebration of his golden finish at his second Winter Olympics.

"There's a lot of pressure on the shoulders for sure, trying to get this gold for Team China. That's what I've been thinking for so many days after the big air," Su, who won his career-first Olympic gold in big air at Beijing 2022, said after Wednesday's final.

"I'm so lucky to finally get this done on my neck. That means so much. Putting this medal on my neck, it's so heavy, you know?

"I almost forgot the feeling from four years ago. To be able to get one more today, it means everything to me.

"I've been talking about this goal, this moment, for so long. I so appreciate it. To be able to represent Team China on this biggest stage [and] to achieve my goal. I feel so grateful to everybody, my family, my coach, everybody here to support me.

"This won't happen without you guys," he added.

"What's more important is we're going to show the love to the world. Snowboarding is not just about competing. We're out here for fun, we're out here for the sports."