[OLYMPICS] China’s Su Yiming Takes Gold and USA’S Jake Canter Secures Bronze in Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle

Men’s snowboard slopestyle just came to a close in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, with the finals round concluding in Livigno, Italy, on Wednesday, February 18. The event saw twelve of the world’s best slopestyle snowboarders battling it out on the sport’s biggest stage for a chance to win an Olympic medal. Each rider was given three runs, with their best of the three used as their final score.

China’s Su Yiming would end up with the gold, with Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa taking silver, and Team USA’s Jake Canter coming home with bronze. 

All it took for Yiming, who turned 22 on the same day, was his first run. He began his run with an amazing rail section, capped off by a switch frontside 180 into a backside rodeo 540 (one-and-a-half full rotations) on the cannon feature. He finished his run with a backside 1440 (four full rotations), earning him a score of 82.41. Yiming would lead the rest of the way, taking home the gold.

This is Yiming’s second medal of these Olympics, having won bronze in big air. Yiming also took silver in slopestyle in Beijing in 2022, making today’s gold the third Olympic medal of his career.

Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa would take the silver medal after earning a score of 82.13, just shy of Yiming’s score. Hasegawa finished his run off with a switch backside 1620 (four and a half rotations), followed by a backside double rodeo 1260 (three and a half rotations). Hasegawa’s silver is Japan’s fifth men’s snowboarding medal of these Olympics.

Team USA’s Jake Canter, in his first Olympics, took home the bronze medal. The Colorado native left it all up to his third run, performing in the clutch. On the final jump in the course, Canter put down a backside 1980 (five and a half rotations), earning a score of 79.36 and putting him on the podium. The 22-year-old celebrated as his score came in, and his spot on the podium was cemented by his impressive run.

Team USA riders Red Gerard and Oliver Martin were unable to podium in the event. Gerard, after winning gold in slopestyle in South Korea in 2018, finished sixth overall. The 17-year-old Martin would finish in ninth overall.

Men’s slopestyle wraps up men’s snowboarding at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. These games saw riders throwing down, with lots of memorable moments. Men’s snowboarding will return to the Olympic stage in 2030 with the games in the French Alps.