KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — At least in the last 24 hours, Malaysians have cared less about football. What sat at the top of Google’s search list instead was a sport that not a single local can play, even if they wanted to: snowboarding.
The reason is Su Yiming, the 21-year-old Chinese snowboarding sensation who is turning Malaysian heads towards the TV to tune in for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. This tournament rarely gets attention simply because Malaysia is a tropical country.
At the time of writing, Google Trends analytics showed the snowboarding event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics had over 50,000 searches, a 1,000 per cent jump in just 10 hours.
The search volume was 30,000 higher than that for the Benfica vs Real Madrid Champions League knockout stage match, which drew controversy over allegations of racial abuse by one of the Spanish club’s players.
Here is why the “Snowboard King” is currently the talk of the town:
A Gen Z icon?
Su Yiming is the first Chinese athlete to ever win an Olympic gold medal in big-air snowboarding, a sport that until recently had been totally dominated by Westerners. Together with Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, both snowboarders became the first Asians to earn gold in the sport at the Beijing Winter Games 2022.
But Su Yiming’s popularity transcends the medals. He is frequently cited as a Gen Z icon, a status shaped by his multi-hyphenate lifestyle and so-called “rebel” persona.
Before becoming an Olympian, Su Yiming was already a well-known child actor, appearing in films like The Taking of Tiger Mountain. Media reports suggest his ability to pivot from a successful acting career to world-class athletics resonates with a generation that values “main character energy” and non-linear career paths.
Another quality that gives him his pull factor is authentic vulnerability. Unlike the rigid public personas of older sports stars, Su Yiming is vocal about his mental health. He famously took a year-and-a-half break after 2022 to “find his fire” again after struggling with the weight of fame.
Then there is the “cool-kid” aesthetic: his streetwear-influenced style, love for hip-hop, and “devil-may-care” attitude resonate with today’s youth, as he bridges professional sports and youth subculture.
He goes to Milano-Cortina 2026 as defending champion
Su Yiming was already a household name in the snowboarding world, but his recent bronze medal win on February 7 and his upcoming slopestyle finals today, February 18, have triggered a fresh wave of interest.
As the defending gold medallist from Beijing 2022, Su Yiming faces immense pressure in Italy. His journey — rebounding from a fall in the qualifiers to landing a clean 1,980-degree spin in the finals — has been widely shared across Malaysian social media, where underdogs and comeback stories are celebrated.
Regional proximity and cultural ties
Data analytics suggest interest in Chinese athletes often peaks during major international events. This surge may be driven by cultural proximity and the visibility of these stars on platforms like Weibo and Douyin, which the local Chinese-speaking community heavily consumes.
Another interesting reason for the peak in Malaysian interest in snowboarding may be South Korea’s Choi Gaon winning gold in the women’s halfpipe category.
Like most of the world, Malaysia has long been swept up in the K-pop and South Korean pop culture wave.
When 17-year-old Choi won gold by defeating American snowboarding giant Chloe Kim — who was the heavy favourite to win her third consecutive gold — Google said the victory became a classic David vs Goliath story that sparked a significant spike in search interest in Malaysia.
