China News Agency, Beijing, February 18th: Interview with Japanese coach Su Yiming: If he needs, I will accompany him at any time

　　Author Li Xiang

　　At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Chinese athlete Su Yiming won the silver medal in the men's snowboard obstacle course and the gold medal in the men's big platform jump. At the age of 18, he also became the youngest champion in the men's big platform event. , and this is also a major breakthrough in China's snow sports.

　　Behind him, a Japanese coach can always be seen. He is Yasuhiro Sato, known as the "Godfather of Japanese Snowboarding".

A few days ago, Yasuhiro Sato accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency.

On February 15, Chinese player Su Yiming won the championship in the men's snowboard ski jumping final of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics held at the Shougang Ski Jumping platform.

The picture shows Su Yiming at the award ceremony.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Jun

"When Su Yiming won the gold, I cried too"

　　"It's really amazing! I'm not a person who likes to cry in front of the camera, but..." Yasuhiro Sato said excitedly, "In the past three and a half years, I spent a very happy time with him, but at the same time it was also very hard. At one stage of his career, he has always firmly hoped to make a breakthrough in the Beijing Winter Olympics. For me, his performance this time was really amazing, and every time I think about it, I can’t stop crying.”

　　After calming down, Sato Yasuhiro continued: "Usually in the previous games, we would emphasize the movements before starting, hoping to show the training movements coherently, and at the same time there will be some words of encouragement, but this time at the Beijing Winter Olympics, As a host player, there will be a lot of pressure, so before the game I will not be like before, just simply convey the technical points, and I will say 'I love you' more."

　　In the snowboarding men's big platform competition, Su Yiming's first two jumps laid the foundation for the championship. Before the last jump, he and his coach Yasuhiro Sato, who learned that he had won the gold medal, hugged each other and cried.

In this regard, Yasuhiro Sato recalled: "I also cried at that time. I couldn't say anything at that time. I also forgot what I said to him at that time. It was probably something like 'you are really good'."

　　As for the goal of the next stage, Yasuhiro Sato said: "The goal is the gold medal in the next Olympic Games. This time we saw Su Yiming win the silver medal in the men's snowboard obstacle course. I don't think the silver medal is enough for him. Showing his strength, so our goal is to turn this silver medal into a gold medal."

On February 15, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Snowboard Men's Big Jumping Final was held at the Shougang Ski Jumping Platform. Chinese player Su Yiming won the championship.

The picture shows Su Yiming hugging with the coach before the game.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun

"Su Yiming's intelligence, modesty, cheerfulness and good communication touched me"

　　Su Yiming began to study with Yasohiro Sato in 2018. According to Yasohiro Sato's memory, Su Yiming was still far from the world's top level at that time.

　　"But I can feel that Su Yiming can bring something different. I think he is very smart, has a cheerful personality, and we have good communication, which is very important. He can listen to my requests carefully and humbly. Working hard to get it done, I can feel his desire from his state, which is great!" Sato said.

　　When a reporter asked Su Yiming if he was a talented athlete, Yasuhiro Sato said unequivocally: "Yes, he is a talented athlete in my heart."

　　After winning the championship, Su Yiming said that Yasuhiro Sato was a person who changed his life, and to the question of whether he would continue to be Su Yiming's coach in the future, Yasushiro Sato gave a clear answer: "If he needs, I will always be by his side. "

"There are many outstanding athletes in China's winter sports and they are making great progress"

　　At the current Beijing Winter Olympics, there are many young athletes in China, and their performance has been greatly improved. Sato Yasuhiro commented that although China's winter ice and snow events started late, it seems to be making rapid progress now. Because China's current talent training plan is complete, we see that China has humbly sent many outstanding athletes to the world to learn from, and achieved good results.

　　Yasuhiro Sato said that sports are not only about competing with each other, but more about touching people with the stories that happened in the process. These stories transcend national borders.

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