Born inland, in a mountainous area of Southwest China's Sichuan province, Yang Siqi's origin couldn't be more at odds with her sporting career — catching breakers atop a surfboard.
The nation's first-ever Olympic surfer, while hailing from miles above sea level, seems to have been born with sea legs, as she once again solidified her status as China's top shredding talent by claiming the women's shortboard gold medal at the 15th National Games on Sunday.
The 16-year-old prodigy claimed the victory with a final score of 14.00 points, defeating Liaoning's Jin Shuhan by a significant 5.33-point margin.
During the four-day surfing competition, held from Nov 13 to 16 at Qing'ao Bay on Nan'ao Island in Shantou, Guangdong province, the weather alternated between sunny and overcast, with waves ranging from powerful to choppy. However, for Sunday's final, the bay experienced the best conditions of the entire four-day event, with clear skies and consistent swells, providing Yang with a stable platform to showcase her high-flying jumps and explosive turns on the waves.
"Today's weather and sea conditions were very favorable. It's all about training hard and being able to reproduce that level when it's time to compete," said Yang who, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, became the first and only surfer to represent Team China.
"Going through the Olympics has taken my experience, wave-reading skills and mental approach to a new level. I feel much more mature as a surfer now," Yang added.
Last summer, defying the odds in the challenging waves of Teahupo'o, Tahiti, the then-15-year-old Yang — also the youngest surfer at the Paris Games — made history for China. She powered through two rounds to advance to the last 16, ultimately securing a tied-ninth-place finish.
"Surfing is a very exciting sport and every race is a new challenge," said Yang.
"I'm so glad that, thanks to the sport's inclusion in the Olympics, and to my debut as a Chinese surfer at the Games, we are seeing more young people pick up the sport."
Unexpected journey
Yang's journey to the waves was unexpected. Growing up in the mountainous Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan, the sea was once a distant concept for Yang.
She was an energetic and lively child from a young age. Her uncle introduced her to a sailing team affiliated with an acquaintance, which required training in Hainan province. Thus, at the age of eight, Yang saw the ocean for the first time.
After a year of sailing, an opportunity exposed her to the new sport of surfing.
In 2018, the Chinese national surfing team was officially established, and surfing programs subsequently opened in Sichuan. Around the same time, as sailing was dropped from the National Games program, Yang and her teammates collectively transitioned to surfing.
This involuntary shift, however, led her to discover her true passion.
"After I started surfing, I found it much more interesting than sailing. Every training session felt incredibly fun. Over the years of training, even when sessions were long and my body felt tired, I never found it particularly hard or exhausting," Yang recalled.
Her passion and dedication to surfing began to pay off as her results steadily improved. She participated in the National Surfing Championships every year from 2018 to 2023, winning the title multiple times.
At the World Surfing Games in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in March 2024, Yang secured her Olympic quota spot by winning the Repechage Round 6 with a score of 11.83 points. This achievement guaranteed her place among the 24 women who would go on to compete in the Paris 2024 surfing event in French Polynesia, writing her name into the nation's history books.
Her achievement has resonated far beyond last year's Games.
"Having a Chinese surfer compete in the Olympics is significant for casual surfing enthusiasts like us," said Lin Jianfeng, a surfer from Shantou.
"Without her participation, it would be difficult for us to watch the television broadcast domestically and appreciate world-class surfers riding massive waves."
Perry Hatchett, the former head judge for the Association of Surfing Professionals (now World Surf League) who currently coaches the Shandong team, sees this as a crucial developmental step.
"She is absolutely the best," Hatchett remarked, noting her visible joy for the sport.
He emphasized that competing internationally is key to her growth, allowing her to experience diverse conditions from China's sand breaks to the coral reefs of the Maldives and Australia.
"Surfing in such varied conditions teaches you to navigate different ocean situations," he explained.
"You learn to read the ocean, to identify the good spots, to find safe places for an easy paddle out. The key is to work with the ocean, not against it. If you fight the ocean, you'll never win."
