Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming continued his strong start to the season by winning his second big air World Cup competition in front of a home crowd in as many weeks.

Coming off last week’s event at nearby Secret Garden, the World Cup circuit returned to the Shougang big air jump in Beijing. This permanent scaffolding jump, built in the middle of a former industrial park, was the same venue where Su won big air gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

This one came down to the final run of the contest. Su grabbed the lead with a backside 1980 nose grab on Run 1 and a switch backside 1980 melon grab on Run 2, but Japan’s Kira Kimura responded with a switch backside 1980 of his own on Run 3 to bump Su out of the top spot.

Su, on the final run, redid his switch backside 1980 and cleaned up the execution, earning himself a higher score that was enough to retake the lead and grab the win.

The standout run of the contest was a never-been-done trick from Finland’s Rene Rinnekangas. Showcasing his creativity, he landed a nose butter backside rodeo 1440 with a tail grab on Run 1. His 95.00 was the highest single-run score of the contest, and he ended up with a 3rd-place finish overall.

Beijing was the place where Su had his breakout performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics — first with a silver medal in slopestyle, then a gold medal in big air. Entering this season, his only World Cup win since that last Olympics had come two years ago on this same jump in Beijing. His best finish in a big air World Cup event last season was 9th.

Now Su has started off the season hot, winning back-to-back big air events in his home country and reasserting himself as one of the leading contenders for gold at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.

“Coming back to this place every single time is always a dream for me,” Su said afterward. “That’s where everything came from, starting from Beijing 2022 Olympic big air and earning a gold, until now.”

In the women’s snowboarding event, two-time reigning World Cup champion Mia Brookes returned to the start list and immediately returned to the top of the podium. The 18-year-old, who landed a cab 1440 stalefish on one of her runs, will be a medal contender in both slopestyle and big air when she makes her Olympic debut later this season.

In freeskiing, the World Cup circuit saw a pair of first-time winners. Norway’s Ulrik Samnoey won the men’s big air event, and Finland’s Anni Karava took the victory in the women’s contest.

The park and pipe season continues with two World Cup events on opposite sides of the globe. Secret Garden, which just hosted The Snow League events in snowboarding and freeskiing, will be the site of halfpipe contests in both sports. Meanwhile, the big air skiers and snowboarders will head to the U.S. for a contest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Men’s Snowboard Big Air

1. Su Yiming (CHN), 181.00
2. Kira Kimura (JPN), 178.25
3. Rene Rinnekangas (FIN), 176.25
4. Yuto Miyamura (JPN), 172.75
5. Dane Menzies (NZL), 170.50
6. Ian Matteoli (ITA), 169.25
7. Txema Mazet Brown (GBR), 102.50
8. Ge Chunyu (CHN), 96.00
9. Zhao Yingxu (CHN), 85.50
10. Lyon Farrell (NZL), 34.25

Women’s Snowboard Big Air

1. Mia Brookes (GBR), 176.50
2. Hanna Karrer (AUT), 146.75
3. Momo Suzuki (JPN), 145.25
4. Ariane Burri (SUI), 141.50
5. Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN), 118.00
6. Kokomo Murase (JPN), 109.50
7. Yu Seung-Eun (KOR), 95.75
8. Tess Coady (AUS), 93.75

Men’s Freeski Big Air

1. Ulrik Samnoey (NOR), 184.00
2. Luca Harrington (NZL), 182.50
3. Matej Svancer (AUT), 180.00
4. Frank Wahlstroem (NOR), 177.00
5. Kim Gubser (SUI), 176.00
6. Timothe Sivignon (FRA), 173.50
7. Dylan Deschamps (CAN), 170.25
8. Leonardo Donaggio (ITA), 167.75
9. Birk Ruud (NOR), 144.50
10. Matias Roche (FRA), 139.75

Women’s Freeski Big Air

1. Anni Karava (FIN), 175.50
2. Liu Mengting (CHN), 172.25
3. Naomi Urness (CAN), 171.50
4. Kirsty Muir (GBR), 168.50
5. Han Linshan (CHN), 164.25
6. Kim Dumont Zanella (FRA), 148.00
7. Anouk Andraska (SUI), 106.25
8. Sandra Eie (NOR), 102.25