Su Yiming exclusive: "I'm dreaming, I'm crying like a little kid, I feel so much love" 

Su Yiming has become an Olympic gold medallist, an Olympic silver medallist, a Chinese national hero, and a snowboarding idol to tens of millions of young aspiring boarders - all before his 18th birthday, today 18 February.

Su rocked the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and wowed the world with his next-gen jumps and a bag of tricks to prove his status as People's Republic of China's snowboard prodigy:

A frontside 1440, switch backside 1620 and backside 1800 gave him silver in slopestyle, then he stomped down a frontside 1800 and a backside triple cork 1800 in the men's big air final to win gold - his country's first medal in the event.

Speaking on a video call while still riding the Olympic high, Su tells Olympics.com what it was like to do it at his home Games.

"It feels like a dream, a big dream come true. I've been dreaming about this moment for the past four years every day. And now finally... a dream come true."

What was it like on the podium?

"I cannot see, cannot hear you know? Just enjoying it and trying to focus on what I'm doing. That was insane, one of the most crazy moments ever.

"This is my first Olympics and I don't know what's going on, right? I'm just having fun with the best riders in the world and my idols, they're all my idols!"

Su Yiming: "I haven't cried like that in many years"

Su's victory in snowboard big air came ahead of Norwegian Mons Roisland in silver and Canadian Max Parrot in bronze, athletes Su has always looked up to.

It was an emotional moment for him when he realised the gold medal was his even before his third run.

"Before I dropped for my last run, I knew I'm going to win. I have enough scores, right?

"So at the moment, I know I'm going to win. I'm just crying, you know, and my coach... we're sitting together, no words... and I just start crying. I haven't cried like that in many years...

"Last time I cried like that was when I was a little kid. I told my coach, wow, I did it. I mean, we did it. This just happened, you know, dream come true."

Su Yiming's family

It made it all the more emotional that his parents came to watch.

"In the morning in training my parents came to watch, they tried to hide themselves with masks, sunglasses, everything, they were sitting with lots of people - they tried to hide themselves but it was so easy for me to find them... I found them right away.

"But at that moment I had to focus on what I'm doing, competition, training, everything, I couldn't say hi to them.

"After the third run I could not even stop, after I landed my trick I almost hit the wall because I was looking at my parents, you know?

"I was so happy I couldn't even stop. That was an insane moment.

"So happy my parents came here to my competition, that means a lot to me and it's amazing."

Su Yiming: 'It's all about the love, snowboarding is Stronger Together'

"It's all about love. That's the most important thing for me. No matter where you're from, no matter who you are, you know, we just come to the same place to have a competition, it's just all about what we love.

"Everybody loves snowboarding, and people come to get these gold medals but the most important thing is the people, I can feel people having so much love, we all support each other, pushing each other.

"It's not just competing, snowboarding is like a big family and we are proud of the family, no matter where you're from.

"It's like a big party, a big show, we're always learning from each other.

"We compete but I'm always wishing everyone does their best, because I know how hard everyone's working and how much everyone loves snowboarding.

"It's not about me or the other competitors, it's about the snowboarding culture around the world, it's getting stronger and stronger and we're doing it with love.

"Stronger together, totally, stronger together."

How did Su Yiming deal with the pressure at the Beijing 2022 Olympics?

"So much pressure for me because it's my first Olympics and in my home town so everybody is watching, like friends, family, fans, everyone is watching for me, so of course I get lots of pressure."

"I still remember saying to my coach, look, 1000 days to the big Games, time's just going by so fast and suddenly one day to go and [I was] so nervous and [felt] so much pressure I cannot even think.

"But I just try to tell myself, OK, I'm going to focus on what I have to do, not thinking about how big or how heavy this is...

"No matter what, I just have to put down my run and do what I have to do."

Maybe his background as a child actor helped too. He's appeared in a number of films and TV series including "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," a movie that starred Hong Kong actor Tony Leung.

His most recent appearance came in "The Wolf," a Chinese TV series, but he put acting aside to dial in on snowboarding for these past four years.

Su Yiming: "I was so nervous"

"You only got like three chances, and you have to put down two runs, especially the first run I was so nervous because I know, this is going to be the key and I have to get more confidence and get a good score first.

"I was so nervous, keep like - deep breaths, but right before I dropped, everyone was just calm, everyone gave me high five, my coach hugged me and said 'just enjoy the moment, have fun and I love you.'

"At that moment I felt loved, everyone trusts me and loves me, so I just focussed on what I was doing and believing in myself, you know, I can put this down.

"I was so nervous but luckily I put down the 18 on the first run, then I still had another 18 to go, so still nervous but I felt the love."

That love helped him to China's first-ever snowboard gold.

Su Yiming's biggest idol: One hundred per cent Mark McMorris

"When I started snowboarding, I just started watching their [the older snowboarders] videos growing up and tried to follow them, trying to be like them and get better.

"I remember watching PyeongChang 2018, still in my house with my friends and family and I told my parents 'woah, this is so much fun! It looks like so much fun to be an Olympian. I think I want to do this at Beijing four years later.'

"That's where my dream started."

He's worked hard and learned fast, his trick progression going into overdrive before Beijing:

In March 2020 he was landing a backside triple cork 1620, followed by a cab 1800 in January 2021. Just nine months later, he became the first snowboarder since Japan's Kadno Kadono Yuki in 2017 to land a backside 1980.

But he had only competed at six World Cup events before Beijing, the first all the way back in December 2019.

Ramping it up before his home Games he had top-10 finishes at the past three World Cups and peaked at the perfect time.

So who was his biggest idol growing up?

"A hundred per cent Mark McMorris.

"I remember trying to learn to jump as a kid and looking for videos and one video comes up 'Mark McMorris first triple back 14,' I started watching the video and saw him spinning, 1440 in the air I was like... No way, are you sure? Wow, wow, this is crazy.

"I thought this feeling must be so much fun, so I told myself I want to jump a triple back 14 in my life, I want to feel the same thing.

"That was when I was a little kid, before pro snowboarding, I just started with little jumps and watching Mark McMorris.

"Luckily I had the chance to meet him when I was young, when I was like 12, in China.

"The first time I met him, of course, I was so nervous because my idol was coming but I was so surprised, he was so friendly to me, he's like, so kind, I mean, so sweet.

"He's taught me so much. He's my idol and he's always pushing me, I always follow him."

Su Yiming shares podium with Mark McMorris in Beijing 2022 slopestyle comp

Su had a chance to share a podium with McMorris in the slopestyle event where he finished above the legendary Canadian with silver. McMorris collected his third Olympic bronze, while the other Canadian, Max Parrot, took gold.

"To be on a podium with my heroes, I still cannot believe it. I just put down my best run ever, my first 18 in slopestyle

"The silver was the first time I'd be on the podium for the Olympic Games. So this was the most crazy moment.

"[It's a] dream come true, I think I'm crying like a little kid

"Well. I feel like... I had a big dream for the past four years finally come true I just appreciate everybody in this moment, my country, family, coach. Pretty much everyone who loved me and who supported me.

"You guys made me where I am."

Su Yiming and Ailing Eileen Gu: "She's like my sister"

"Everyone knows I knew Eileen when I was really young," continues Su.

"She's like my sister, you know, she's like my sister and growing up together, going out together training together, you know, and now I'm not sure, have you guys seen the picture? (Above)

"I was holding her skis and she's holding my snowboard, we like transfer you know?

"That was when I was 10 and she was 11. That was a moment, and now we are Olympic gold medallists. I think this means a lot to both of us.

"You know, we are working so hard and have been both dreaming of this moment and now we have both made it. I'm really proud of her, I'm so happy for both of us."

"This is so special feeling to get this medal, especially with her.

"When I got silver she sent me the photo when we were young, I was holding her skis and she was riding on my snowboard and now we both have these medals so this is such a crazy moment."

Now on his 18th birthday, Su has the world at his feet but is staying grounded, he'll celebrate with family and friends and get back to where he's most happy - riding with the idols who became his rivals, and his friends, to feel the love some more.