Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming competes in the qualification round of the men's slopestyle at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 6. Photo: VCG

Eight years ago he was a child star in director Tsui Hark's epic action film The Taking of Tiger Mountain, and now he is one of the host country's serious medal hopes at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming advanced to Monday's final of the men's slopestyle as the best performer in qualification rounds on Sunday.

Su scored 86.80 points in the first of his two runs, the top result among all 30 contestants. 

It is the first time a Chinese snowboarder has qualified for slopestyle competition in the ­Winter Olympics.

Su said he was not nervous although it was his first Olympic appearance. "Standing at the start point, and knowing my friends, family, and the whole country, supporting me, I had nothing to be nervous about," he said afterward. "Try my best and enjoy the event - that was the only thing I needed to do." 

Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming competes in the qualification round of the men's slopestyle at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 6. Photo: VCG

The commentator of China Central Television's sports channel called his run "flawless and perfect." But Su said it was "not the most perfect."

"Although I finished the first run, to me it was not the most perfect," he said in an interview. "I landed too far and failed to stand in the second run. I hope I can fix all these problems and perform my best run tomorrow." 

His second run got a mere 41.93 points, ranking 17th among all 30 athletes. 

Having started snowboarding at the age of 4, the Chinese teenager stunned the snowboarding world when he landed a Cab (Caballerial) 1800 - one of the most difficult snowboard tricks - at 16 in January 2021. In December 2021, he became the first Chinese snowboarder to win a big air World Cup event, in what was just his third World Cup start, in Steamboat, the US.

He was also the first rider in history to land 1800s two ways in a FIS (International Ski Federation) competition - performing a backside triple cork 1800 and a frontside 1800.

Besides slopestyle, Su will also compete in the big air completion, whose qualification runs will be on February 14, with the finals one day later. 

He will turn 18 on February 18, two days before the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Games. And what would be better birthday gifts than two Olympic gold medals?