On a dramatic night that delivered some never-before-seen tricks, record-extending runs and major upsets, Chinese snowboarder Yang Wenlong made sure he didn't go unnoticed at the Big Air World Cup series' return to Beijing.

He actually ended up being an unexpected crowd-pleaser on an otherwise disappointing night for Chinese fans on Sunday, by soaring to his career first podium finish in the series. It was something to get the partisan crowd back on their feet and cheering, following home favorite and reigning Olympic champion Su Yiming's crushing performances.

Entering the 10-man final virtually unknown among a strong field, Yang, who'd qualified only once for the final round at a Cup event before Sunday, turned out to be a show-stopper at west Beijing's Shougang Industrial Park, as he landed two solid runs hurtling down the monster Olympic slope to score a combined 159.25 points and finishing third on the second leg of the 2024-25 World Cup season.

Big air involves skiers or snowboarders tackling a vertical drop and performing a variety of flips, spins and grabs before landing on the slope. Each finalist gets three attempts, with the combined score of their two best runs counting for the ranking.

Yang's unexpected, yet inspiring, podium finish, which was his first in 13 World Cup events since his debut in 2017, reinvigorated the Beijing crowd, after the shocking blow of Su's false landings in his first two runs in the final. They cost him the chance to defend his title on the iconic slope.

As back-to-back winner in Shougang at Beijing 2022 and last year's Cup event, Su eventually finished at the bottom of table in Sunday's final, despite successfully landing his third run. It casts a shadow on his attempt to defend the Olympic gold, where upcoming young challengers have pushed the level of competition insanely high.

Leading the challenge for Su's crown is Japanese rider Hiroto Ogiwara, one of Su's training partners under coach Yasuhiro Sato, and Italy's teen prospect Ian Matteoli, who won gold and silver, respectively, on Sunday with some jaw-dropping tricks that almost redefined the limits of the sport.