Beijing 2022: Cai Xuetong believes snowboarding will once again capture the imagination of the world

Fear is no factor as veteran turns to the UFC to help put on the muscle needed to try new tricks

‘I want the people to see this sport, and after the Olympics I hope more people will join us,’ says Cai

Reading Time:3 minutes

China’s Cai Xuetong has been preparing for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics by undergoing training at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China. Photos: UFC Performance Institute Shanghai

Published: 5:31pm, 2 Sep 2021Updated: 9:15pm, 2 Sep 2021

When the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics kick off in just over six months time it will mark the fourth time Cai Xuetong has represented her country at the Games but the snowboarding star says the feeling she gets when she positions herself high at the top of the half-pipe has never changed over the years.

“It’s a challenge, the fear,” said the 27-year-old Cai. “You can feel it straight away when you stand up on the half-pipe. But after you overcome the fear, that [feeling] is very enjoyable. After you overcome [the fear] it makes you happier.”

The women’s half-pipe promises to again be the showcase event at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. For sheer spectacular visuals, the sport has few equals as competitors shoot skywards and seemingly defy the laws of gravity.

Interest in the sport had been building in the years since Cai made her Olympic debut as a 17-year-old at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. But it was at Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018, and the appearance of another 17-year-old in Korean-American sensation Chloe Kim that really saw things explode.

Kim stole the show, and her tricks – including her signature back-to-back 1080s – took her to gold in front of China’s Liu Jiayu. That helped lift snowboarding’s exposure globally and it also helped breathe life into the Winter Olympics, especially in terms of them reaching the younger demographic all sports crave.