Su Yiming (right) Photo: Li Hao/GT

China's Olympic snowboarding champion Su Yiming has set his sights on the 2026 Winter Olympics after finishing at the top of the Big Air World Cup in Chongli over the weekend.

The 21-year-old clinched a dominant victory with a total score of 174.50 points, followed by 19-year-old compatriot Ge Chunyu, who claimed silver with 159.50 points. 

The results gave China a one-two finish on home snow at the World Cup event at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, Beijing's neighboring Hebei Province.

For Su, the win was especially meaningful, his first big air World Cup title in two years. After a challenging 2024-25 season marked by injuries and inconsistency, he said the victory "means so much."

"It's more than just a personal triumph," Su emphasized to the journalists on Tuesday on the broader significance for Chinese snowboarding as a whole, which he called the "Chinese legion."

He described the fact that both he and Ge stood together on the top two steps of the podium and raised the national flag as "a great honor."

"We have never seen multiple domestic athletes together on the world's highest-level podium. To raise the national flag together with teammates was a great honor," Su said. 

He also expressed his hopes for the upcoming World Cup competition at Shougang Park from Thursday to Saturday. 

"I hope this week everyone continues to work together, stays focused on the competition, and executes every jump well," Su said. "More importantly, enjoy the competition safely and happily, and do our best to bring honor to the country."

It was in this very venue that Su won his Olympic gold medal in 2022. However, last season Su missed out from a satisfying performance at Shougang Park due to injury. 

He said that last season's difficulties have given him a better understanding of the challenges ahead and motivated him to improve.

"Last year's setback made me see more clearly the challenges and difficulties that lie ahead. It also made me even more determined to become a better version of myself," Su told reporters, noting he is working on keeping a more relaxed mindset.  

"The experience helped me let go of the pressure on my shoulders and start again from zero, taking on every challenge. So at this World Cup stop and in the upcoming Winter Olympics, I will maintain a peaceful mindset, focus on my daily training, and no longer worry about anything."

Looking ahead to the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Su reiterated that his ultimate goal remains unchanged..

"My goal has always been to show my best possible level and lay a solid foundation for the Milan Olympics," he said. "I hope to improve in every aspect, difficulty, stability, variety, execution, and strive for higher scores," he added.

Su also responded to comments about his praise for Chinese diving star Quan Hongchan's recent attempts at snowboarding on social media. 

"I saw that she was learning snowboard skills. I think she is really talented and learns very fast," Su said, referring to the 18-year-old three-time Olympic gold medalist in diving.

"But right now both of our schedules are very tight. If we have time in the future, during the off season, I'd be very happy to go snowboarding with her and exchange some techniques," Su said. "I might also want to try diving - we could each try the other's 10-meter platform."