There is something poetic about an athlete returning to the place where everything changed. In 2022, Beijing was the spot where a young Su Yiming lit up the world stage. He stood tall in Big Air, sent it into history, and overnight became the rider everyone was suddenly watching. Fast forward to this week, and Ming is back. Older now. Sharper. Still a dreamer, but no longer the wide eyed teenager who caught lightning. This time he arrives with a plan.
Fresh off a dominant win in Secret Garden just days ago, Ming has rolled into Beijing carrying momentum rather than pressure. You can feel the confidence in his voice. The 2022 version of himself, he says, was pure instinct. The 2026 version has direction. Same hunger, but now with discipline, quiet training blocks, time on the snow without noise, and a sense of balance that might just be his real competitive edge.
Balance is a word Ming returns to often. While many pro riders live in airports and contest schedules, he splits his world between the mountains and Tsinghua University. When he is not riding, he is studying, or making music which he calls his portable sanctuary. Pool tables with friends replace podium lights. Stretching in a silent room is as valued as a perfect landing. He talks about these things the way others talk about titles. They keep him grounded. They keep him hungry. And perhaps most importantly, they keep snowboarding fun.
This week matters. Beijing Big Air remains one of the most exacting venues in world sport. Long landings. Precision kickers. Unpredictable wind. It is a place that rewards calm heads and punishes hesitation. It is also home. The stands will roar louder for Ming than anyone else in the field. The same scaffolding where minds were blown three years ago is standing again, asking the same question: what has he got this time.
On paper his resume reads like a highlight reel. Olympic gold and silver in 2022. X Games bronze. Big Air World Cup gold in Beijing 2023. A documented 2160 spin in training. Another win this season in Secret Garden showing authority on both left and right rotations. Clean, controlled, fast. The details matter. He has always been known for amplitude. Now consistency and clarity are joining the skill set.
When asked about defending a title, Ming smiles. He does not see it as defending anything. It is a chance to ride at the top again, to be better than yesterday. The 2022 medal is a memory. The work is now. He wants the freedom to ride without the burden of expectation. Whether that is possible in a stadium like Beijing is part of the theatre.
In conversation he is thoughtful. No bravado. When pressed on what keeps him centred he talks about music, headphones on, world muted. When asked what he enjoys outside the spotlight he talks about the small moments. First run of the day on crisp edge. Laughter in the wax room. Pool with mates. The simple things that remind him why he started riding at all.
That might be the key to his evolution. A champion who still rides like a kid chasing a perfect feeling. A contender for Livigno 2026 who is learning to control pressure rather than escape it. A leading figure in Big Air who still builds playlists in hotel rooms.
Beijing will reveal where that growth stands. Qualifications begin Friday. The city is cold. The landing is long. The sport has never been more technical. And somewhere behind the scenes, Ming is quietly putting on his headphones, clipping his boots in, ready to fly again.
