Su Yiming wins snowboard slopestyle title on his birthday at Winter Olympics 2026
Su Yiming won gold medal in men’s snowboard slopestyle at Milano Cortina 2026 on his birthday. He secured first place with his first run on Wednesday 18 February, scoring 82.41. Japan’s Hasegawa Taiga finished second with 82.13, also earning his best score in his first run, while Team USA’s Jake Canter took bronze with 79.36 at Livigno Snow Park.
“This means everything to me,” Su told Olympics.com. “To be able to compete here on the biggest stage, represent Team China, and get this gold after four years means everything to me,” said Su, referencing the silver medal won at Beijing 2022 in slopestyle. He also won gold in Big Air in China and bronze in Italy. “I can’t find any better gift for my 22nd birthday, so this is my dream came true.”
Mark McMorris returned to competition after being cleared following a concussion in Big Air training in Italy, which prevented him from competing in that event. He finished eighth and was unable to add a fourth consecutive Olympic medal. He nevertheless felt “blessed” to return to compete.
In the final, several athletes were still in contention heading into the third run, where the best score counted. Only two athletes scored above 80 points in the first two runs. Jake Canter delivered a strong third run, moving from eighth place to claim bronze behind Hasegawa.
“I was very relieved,” said Hasegawa. “This year I had bad luck and couldn’t get good results, but I’m very happy to win a silver medal on this stage. I’m very proud of myself.”
“I really hope I made 13-year-old me proud,” said Canter. “Standing on that podium and competing on the biggest stage, pressure’s a privilege. We’re lucky to showcase our skills at the Olympics.”
Marcus Kleveland, two-time world champion, finished fourth after waiting for his score. The top three qualifiers — Dane Menzies, Marcus Kleveland, and Mark McMorris — were unable to deliver strong runs in the final. The eighth, ninth, and tenth qualifiers finished first, second, and third in the final standings.
Red Gerard, Olympic champion at PyeongChang 2018, finished sixth behind France’s Romain Allemand.
Hasegawa was among 449 athletes from 90 NOCs supported by an Olympic Solidarity scholarship on the road to Milano Cortina 2026. The programme helped cover training, equipment, and travel costs, supporting athletes to compete and succeed on the Olympic stage.
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