Su Yiming (L) of China and his coach react during men's snowboard big air final of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Big Air Shougang in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 15, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

The stories between Chinese snowboard prodigy Su Yiming and Yasuhiro Sato - the Japanese coach Su is "most grateful to" - have hit the headlines in China this week after Su bagged one silver and one gold medals for China during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Friday is Su's 18th birthday. In the early morning on Friday, Sato sent his best wishes to Su on social media, and told the Global Times that he would celebrate Su's birthday in the evening. 

"Happy eighteenth birthday! I love you...Congratulations on winning gold medal in BA Beijing 2022. You made history. It is an honor to ride towards the future together..." the birthday blessing said, noting that "Episode one is over. Superstar never rest. Training starts at 8:00 tomorrow. Let's go!"

On Tuesday Su bagged gold in the men's snowboard big air final at 2022 Winter Olympics at Big Air Shougang in Beijing. It's the 6th gold and the 12th medal for Team China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, breaking the country's best record at previous Winter Games with the most gold and the most medals ever.

Sato said he is proud of Su. "It's not easy at all. To compete at the top level in the world, you have to go through a lot of hurdles just to get a ticket to the Winter Olympics. We worked together and got here step by step," said Sato.

"I'm not a crybaby, but Xiaoming (Su's nickname) always touches me. I cried many times during the Winter Olympics."

Sato said he had planned to return to Japan early, but decided to stay for the closing ceremony in Beijing. "I regret not being able to attend the opening ceremony. This time I will wear the uniform of Team China to the closing ceremony." 

"Look, it says 'CHINA' on it. I like it very much," Sato told the Global Times, pointing to his red hat.

Su Yiming comptes in the men's big air freestyle snowboarding final on February 15. Photo: Li Hao/Global Times

'Big change in life'

Su once told the media that he thanked Sato for changing his life. In the exclusive interview with the Global Times, Sato also credits Su for his "life upheaval." 

Sato recalled the scene when the 14-year-old came up to him with the snowboard in his arms and said, "I'm counting on you!" At that time, Sato thought this kid skated well, but a bit late at the age of 14. Unexpectedly, in less than four years, the master and his apprentice worked together to make history. 

The challenging and memorable experience was a "life upheaval" for Sato, he said.

Su has a passion for snowboarding, great concentration and a strong ability to self-correct. When faced with difficulties, he never gave in, but actively thought of solutions to the problem, said Sato.

Su hugged Sato every time before he took to the stage, and the strong bond of trust between the two is palpable. "The Chinese respect teachers that have touched them deeply," said Sato.

"I don't think I have great coaching skills, but Xiaoming trusts and respects me unconditionally," Sato told the Global Times.

Together for a shared future

As a Japanese coach, Sato led a Chinese athlete to a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. A small number of Japanese netizens said, "Does China pay more to you [Sato] and you leave the Japanese athletes alone?" 

"People who think like that are 'lame.' It's not cool," Sato told the Global Times, noting that such comments put a little pressure on him, and he doesn't pay much attention to them. Because in the same Winter Olympics, he would wear the uniform of Team China when he coaches Su, but he will also change uniforms to coach Japanese athletes.

Sato in coaching Su at the same time, but also coaches Japanese Olympians including Reira Iwabuchi and Takeru Otsuka in this Winter Olympics.

As the slogan of the Beijing Winter Olympics "Together for a shared Future" goes, the athletes just have such an Olympic spirit, Sato said.

With the Winter Olympics as an opportunity, more and more young people join ice and snow sports in China. When asked "Will there be another Su Yiming?" Sato said that "China will have more and more Winter Olympic champions, but I'm afraid there won't be another Su Yiming in the next 100 years. Su Yiming is Su Yiming, he is such a special one."

"It's a very rare experience for Su to go from being a child star to becoming a snowboarder and a world champion," Sato said, noting that he watched the movie Rock Kid, starring Su.

Sato once said on social media, "Right now we are a coach and an athlete. Maybe we can do different things together in the future." 

In response to the question by the Global Times "What are you going to do differently?" Sato said "I am Japanese and he is Chinese. We hope to build a bridge of exchanges between Japan and China, promote mutual understanding between the two countries and write more stories of Japan-China friendship."