Chinese tourists in Milan have expressed pride and excitement after China claimed two dramatic gold medals in quick succession during the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday.
Team China had waited 11 competition days for its first taste of golden glory at the Games, which kicked off on Feb 6, but that drought ended on Wednesday with a remarkable double development in the space of just 80 minutes that completely turned the tone of China's Olympic campaign.
The first golden moment came through Su Yiming, who on his 22nd birthday, soared to victory in the final of the men's snowboard slopestyle. He delivered a near-flawless run to score an unsurmountable 82.41 points, ranking him ahead of Japan's Taiga Hasegawa and Jake Canter of the United States.
Shortly after, Xu Mengtao also triumphed in the women's freestyle skiing aerials. The five-time Olympian clinched China's second gold of the Games and made history by becoming the first freestyle skier to claim consecutive Olympic aerials gold medals.
Tourists in Milan were thrilled by the double delight.
"We are very happy. We got two golds today," said one visitor.
"We are very proud. We just came to Milan today and we got this great happy news. We are very excited," said another tourist.
The timely success also came as Chinese people celebrated the start of the Year of the Horse on Tuesday.
"We are very proud of our team China. Well, [it's a] happy [Chinese] New Year," said a Chinese fan.
Others hailed the star quality of Su, who previously gained global fame for becoming the first snowboarder in the world to successfully complete and land a challenging 1980-degree aerial spin.
"Su Yiming is so popular in China. I believe everyone knows about him. He's young and famous," said another Chinese tourist in Milan.
Double delight for Chinese fans after quickfire golden success at Winter Olympics
