Today is the 18th birthday of Su Yiming, China's youngest Winter Olympic champion. Before the opening of the Winter Olympics, Su Yiming's mother wrote him a family letter full of affection. Tonight's night reading, let's read this family letter together, maybe you will see a different "genius teenager".
Dear Son,
When I wrote this letter to you, we hadn't seen each other for 116 days. When you enter the Olympic Village in a few days to start the competition, and then after the competition, it will be 49 days before I can see you and hug you.
Although you always video call me between busy training and games to let me know that you are doing well and reassure me, although I also know that you are well taken care of by the national team staff and coach Sato, I feel that I really respond to the old saying - the mother of the child is worried. You're still an underage child after all, and it's the first time in your life that you've been away from home for so long. Every time I video call you, I always try to hide my concern for you, so that you can play and train with peace of mind, but you can always detect your mother's careful thoughts, and in turn comfort me.
For more than three months, I have been thinking about how you have grown up, how to let go of your own to break into the world, may not only be yourself, but also a subject that I need to learn as a mother.
The year you started learning snowboarding at the age of 4 coincided with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, perhaps at that time, a seed was planted in your little heart to become an athlete and win glory for the country. After 14 years, with your unremitting efforts, you have won enough points through one game after another, and you are about to wear the national team jersey to stand on the starting stage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. No matter what the final results are, you are the pride of your mother, and even more the pride of the motherland!
Skiing is a very hard sport, always getting up early to go up the mountain, training in a cold environment, and practicing difficult moves that can easily hurt. In the past, some people always asked me incomprehensibly, how can such a precious son be willing to let him practice this? But I can only answer them, children love too much, parents must fully support ah.
It may be that with the genes of both parents who love to play, from a young age you are a "wild" child who loves nature, relies on the sea and believes in mountains. So two of your favorite sports, snowboarding and surfing, are the closest to nature, allowing you to overcome the harsh winter cold and the summer heat, and devote yourself to it and play to the fullest. But who would have thought that after 14 years of playing, you would even play to the Winter Olympics!
As we get closer to the opening of the Winter Olympics, I know you're ready to make a big jump at our country's own home stadium to get your own moves done and to get the best results. Although you always say that the goal is always an Olympic gold medal, mom wants you to let go of the pressure and enjoy every game easily.
On the day of your first appearance at the Beijing Winter Olympics steeplechase preliminaries, it is your mother's birthday, the second day of the slope obstacle final, the birthday of your mentor Coach Sato, and you yourself will also celebrate your 18th birthday three days after the big jump final. You can complete all the races safely and happily, which is our most precious birthday gift!
You are still very young and will have the opportunity to participate in more Winter Olympics in the future, but it may be the only time to participate on your doorstep. You are fortunate to have such a rare opportunity, and you need to thank the national team, the provincial team, the coach for cultivating you, and the partners, media and audiences for their support.
But what you should be most grateful for is yourself, it is you who have never given up since the age of 4, creating a stronger self now, so that you can face all the situations in life more calmly. You've grown into a gritty man, and Mom believes that whether it's snowboarding or whatever else you love, you'll be able to do well and contribute more to our country and society.
Looking forward to the day I see you in 49 days!
Your mother
January 23, 2022