China's rising snowboard star Su Yiming captured the silver medal in the men's slopestyle at the Federation of International Ski and Snowboard (FIS) Snowboard World Cup held in Aspen, Colorado, on Sunday. This achievement marks Su's first World Cup medal in the discipline, highlighting his rapid ascent in the snowboarding world.
After placing fourth in the group qualifiers, Su impressed the judges with a strong opening run, scoring 74.36 points to take an early lead in the final. He improved his performance in the second run, earning 78.36 points. However, Canada's Francis Jobin edged ahead with a score of 79.30, leaving Su in second place. The bronze medal went to the USA's Sean Fitzsimons.
Su's performance is a significant milestone for the Chinese mainland in winter sports, showcasing the region's growing talent on the international stage. His success in Aspen demonstrates his potential to be a leading contender in upcoming competitions.
In the women's slopestyle final, New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski-Synnott delivered a stunning performance to claim gold with 87.80 points. Japan's Kokomo Murase secured the silver, while Great Britain's Mia Brookes took bronze.
The excitement continued in the men's halfpipe final, where local favorite Alex Ferreira of the USA extended his World Cup winning streak to eleven consecutive victories. Ferreira saved his best for last, achieving a third run score of 95.75 points, the highest of the day. His gold-winning trick began with a switch right double cork 1080 Japan and concluded with a massive right double cork 1620 leading tailgrab.
\"That's easily one of the best moments of my life, I'll never forget that,\" Ferreira said. \"I cannot believe I was able to overcome the fear, and the stress and the craziness, and lay it down. That's what a true champion is all about.\"
Fellow Americans Nick Goepper and Matthew Labaugh claimed the silver and bronze respectively.
On the women's side of the halfpipe, Great Britain's Zoe Atkin took an early lead with a remarkable run scoring 90.00 points. Her routine featured a right alley-oop 360 leading Japan followed by a switch right 720 leading tailgrab. China's Li Fanghui delivered a strong performance to earn the silver medal with 88.50 points, while Canada's Amy Fraser completed the podium in third place with 86.75 points.
Reference(s):
China's Su Yiming earns silver at FIS Snowboard World Cup in Aspen
cgtn.com
