Olympic snowboard champ Su Yiming: The word to describe Hanyu Yuzuru is "legend"
The Beijing 2022 big air gold medallist trained in Japan, where he got to see the figure skating superstar perform in person.
It takes an Olympic champion to truly appreciate another Olympic champion – all the hard work and sacrifice behind winning an Olympic gold medal.
So when Beijing 2022 snowboard big air champion Su Yiming got the chance to watch and meet figure skating extraordinaire – and back-to-back Olympic champion – Hanyu Yuzuru, it was a meeting he grasped with both hands.
Getting the chance to see Hanyu perform in person left Su Yiming so speechless, he defaulted to the word that many would use to describe Japan's Hanyu, who racked up legions of worldwide fans thanks to his ethereal skating.
"I think the word legend is completely correct for him," Su told Olympics.com recently.
"He (was able) to win back-to-back Olympic figure skating titles, which was quite an outstanding achievement. I have the experience of the Winter Games, so I can feel how difficult it was."
Su Yiming on Hanyu: "A goal for me"
Still only 19 currently, Su became Olympic champion at Beijing 2022 three days shy of his 18th birthday.
As it turns out, Hanyu was one of his sporting idols as a young snowboarder working towards the aim of making the Olympics.
"Like everyone else, I've definitely known a lot about him for a long time. He is really very popular, in China and around the world, and I have always regarded him as a goal of mine," Su shared.
"He won gold medals in Sochi and PyeongChang, and that was my goal too, to get the best result in the Olympic Winter Games.
"That's why I have always regarded him as a driving force and a goal for me to work towards."
And that, too, is why Su regards Hanyu as a legend – as do so many other fans around the world.
"Under such huge pressure (at the Olympics), he could still perform well, winning two gold medals, I think that's not easy at all," Su noted.
"Besides his achievements, his personality, his manner, and every moment he showed on the rink, made him a deserved legend.
"I respect him very, very much."
Su Yiming: Watching Hanyu in person "shocked" me
Now retired from competitive figure skating, Hanyu has pivoted into performing ice shows – "Prologue", "Gift", and "notte stellata.
The Japanese skater is also performing with Fantasy on Ice, as he normally does every summer.
It was during one of these ice shows that Su, who spent some time training in Japan, got to watch the skating maestro.
And it was electrifying, Su said.
"During my training period in Japan, he did an ice show there, so I had a chance to see his performance live, which really shook me in a shocking way.
"I had not been able to see his performance live before, so maybe this live performance in person surprised me."
And, perhaps to the envy of many Hanyu fans worldwide, Su managed to meet his self-declared sporting goal, even if only for a brief moment.
"I was able to say a few words to him afterwards," Su shared. "I told him how shocked I was to watch his performance."