Winter sports stars lit up the slopes at Zhangjiakou's Secret Garden on Thursday as China's Olympic champion Su Yiming and Canada's rising talent Eli Bouchard delivered showstopping performances at the FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup opener.
Su, who claimed gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, secured his Heat 2 victory with a gravity-defying 1980 spin after initially landing an 1800 maneuver. The 21-year-old told reporters: "My plan was to go for the 1980 first, but I adapted mid-air. Having multiple tricks prepared gives me confidence for tomorrow's final."
Seventeen-year-old Bouchard stunned judges with his innovative "BouchBomb" – a complex off-axis 1440 rotation never before seen in competition. Despite an imperfect landing, the Canadian's creativity earned top marks in Heat 1. One judge noted: "This trick pushes the sport's technical boundaries. We're witnessing the future of big air."
The competition saw high-flying action from across Asia, with all four Japanese finalists – including Kira Kimura and Yuto Miyamura – successfully executing 1980 spins. China's Ge Chunyu also advanced with his own 1980 performance, setting up an intense final showdown scheduled for Saturday.
With 60 athletes from 15 countries and regions competing under modified qualification rules, this event marks a crucial step toward the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Action resumes tomorrow at 10:00 AM local time.
