It was a huge start to the 2025–2026 FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup season! On Thursday, November 27, in Zhangjiakou in north China's Hebei Province, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic champion Su Yiming stole the show in Heat 2, scoring 92.75 points with a flawless 1980 spin on his second run. 🥇🏂
"This is the first stop of a Winter Olympics season, so there was definitely pressure," Su said. "My plan was to go for the 1980 on my first run, but in the air I felt the speed might not be enough, so I switched to an 1800. I'm very happy I was able to put down the 1980 perfectly on my second run. I have enough tricks prepared."
Across in Heat 1, 17-year-old Eli Bouchard from Canada landed a brand-new off-axis rotation dubbed the "BouchBomb," earning 93.25 points and the top spot in his group. 🎉
"Actually, we knew Bouchard could do this trick. Seeing it in competition today was impressive," a judge said of Bouchard's performance. "It's an unconventional 1440 with an excellent grab. Although the landing wasn't perfect, we decided to reward the high degree of innovation."
A total of 60 athletes battled in two heats, each taking two runs under a simplified format where only the higher score counts. The top five from each heat have now advanced to the final, set for this Saturday, November 29. Su's teammate Ge Chunyu also booked his spot in Heat 2 with another clean 1980 spin, while the four Japanese qualifiers – Kira Kimura, Ryoma Kimata, Taiga Hasegawa and Yuto Miyamura – proved high-rotation tricks are king by landing 1980s. ⚡
Don't miss the final this Saturday, November 29, where these top 10 riders will push the limits again in search of Big Air glory! 🌟
Reference(s):
China's Su, Canada's Bouchard lead qualifiers at Big Air World Cup
cgtn.com
