By Krystal Hu
(Reuters) – Su Yiming, the 17-year-old Chinese snowboarder who wowed competitors and spectators in the Big Air Shougang stadium on Tuesday and took home China’s first gold in any snowboarding event, eyes more possibilities after achieving his biggest dream.
The snowboarding sensation is celebrating his 18th birthday early with his stellar performance at the Beijing Olympics, bagging gold in Big Air and silver in slopestyle.
A former child actor, Su appeared in the action movie “The Taking of Tiger Mountain” when he was eight before deciding to drop acting for snowboarding. Now he says he wants to show more of his sides beyond the sport.
“I have many different dreams but today’s gold medal is the biggest dream I have ever had since I was young. For it, I had to give up acting because I need to focus completely,” said Su, who took up snowboarding at the age of four.
Standing on the podium for two snowboarding events in Beijing, Su doesn’t rule out the possibility of exploring acting again in future.
“Whether it is skiing or acting, I will have many different life goals in the future. I have many ideas, and I have always tried my best to let everyone see a more multi-faceted me.”
“I also want everyone to know that not only can I do one thing well, but I can do my best in all my favorite fields,” he said.
Su only started to compete in world championships in 2019 and has quickly risen through the ranks. An avid music fan, Su said he was drawn to freestyle snowboarding for its creativity.
“There are no set rules and moves, and everyone has their own interpretation on each trick. That’s what fascinates me the most about freestyle snowboarding,” he said.
(Reporting by Krystal Hu, Jenna Zucker, Muyu Xu in Beijing; editing by Robert Birsel)
