Defending champion Su Yiming rebounds to advance to men's big air final at Milano Cortina 2026

Defending men's big air champion Su Yiming of China recovered from an early setback on Thursday to reach the final of the snowboarding event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Su only picked up 22.00 points from his opening attempt, but returned for his later runs with relentless determination. He landed a backside 1800 nose grab for 87.75 points on his second attempt, followed by a switch backside 1980 melon grab for 85.00, which proved enough to clinch his place in the final.

After completing his closing effort, Su raised both fists repeatedly and shouted toward the finish area, visibly releasing the pressure built up earlier in the competition.

"I was disappointed with my first jump," Su admitted. "Under pressure, it's not always easy to show what you are capable of, but experience from previous competitions helped me handle the situation better."

The 21-year-old rose to prominence at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where he won big air gold, claiming China's first-ever Olympic title in snowboarding, before adding slopestyle silver. After being troubled by injuries over the next few seasons, Su has crafted a strong comeback this winter, topping two big air World Cups and leading the discipline's overall standings.

"The level here is much higher than it was four years ago," Su said. "It's impressive to see how fast snowboarding is developing, and going into the final, it will come down to mentality. I just want to trust myself and enjoy the competition."

Two other Chinese snowboarders, Ge Chunyu and Yang Wenlong, both failed to break into the top 12 and reach the final.

Yang said he felt disappointed after missing out, believing his performance might have been enough to progress.

"Based on my own assessment, I thought I had a chance to make the final," he lamented. "The scores were lower than I had expected, especially compared with previous World Cup events."

In his Olympic debut, the 19-year-old Ge said he chose to focus on executing the tricks within his current abilities, rather than taking excessive risks. "I just wanted to perform what I'm capable of," he noted. "For me, it's about doing my own runs well and staying safe."

Japanese snowboarders had strong showings in qualification, with all four of the country's riders advancing. Hiroto Ogiwara led the contingent, topping the standings after scoring 90.50 and 88.00 points on his first two attempts.

Italy's Ian Matteoli impressed on home snow, opening with a competition-high 93.75 points from a switch backside 1980 melon grab, on the way to finishing second overall with a total score of 174.50 points.

"I'm trying to experience this more as a journey than a contest," Matteoli said. "I came here to do what I trained for, and it worked. Going into the final, I just want to enjoy it and do my best."

A total of 30 athletes competed in the qualification round, with each athlete taking three runs. The best two scores were combined to determine the standings, with the top 12 advancing to Saturday's final.