Current location:entertainment >>
Chinese athletes preparing for 2026 Winter Olympics
entertainment91People have gathered around
IntroductionSeveral Chinese athletes who are about to finish the country's 14th National Winter Games are lo ...
Several Chinese athletes who are about to finish the country's 14th National Winter Games are looking to follow up and flex their muscles at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Marking China's premier national-level winter sports event following Beijing 2022, the National Games features over 3,000 athletes, including Olympic champions and young prospects, each vying for medals in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region until February 27.
Following the country's all-time best of nine gold, four silver and two bronze medals at Beijing 2022, Chinese athletes have maintained their momentum. For many elite athletes, including Winter Olympic champions Su Yiming and Gao Tingyu, the National Winter Games serves as a crucial preparatory stage before forging ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Su Yiming competes in the men's snowboard slopestyle final at China's 14th National Winter Games in Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Feb. 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)
EYEING OLYMPICS
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics is expected to feature 176 events across eight sports. All the events of the Winter Olympics, including bobsled and ski mountaineering, featured in the National Games.
"The National Winter Games can be seen as a large-scale training before the 2026 Winter Olympics, to further enhance the international competitiveness of China's winter sports," said Ding Tao, an official from China's General Administration of Sport.
Chinese athletes are medal contenders in sports like short track speed skating, speed skating and figure skating, and delving into the National Games for prospects, fans can still pin their hopes on ice sports which have proved wildly popular among the general public.
Inner Mongolia speed skater Han Mei, who did not secure a medal at Beijing 2022, triumphed with three golds in front of her home crowd. "We should dream big, and my next goal is to finish on the podium at the 2026 Winter Olympics," Han said.
Chinese snowboarding sensation Su, who bagged two golds at the National Games, also aimed high. "My goal has always remained unchanged, which is to win the Olympic gold," he said.
But the 20-year-old Beijing Winter Olympics champion admitted that his path to the 2026 Winter Olympics would not be plain sailing. "My physical conditions and various off-court factors will make the preparations more challenging."
Many Olympic champions failed to impress at the National Games, which in some cases helped clear their minds and gave them a boost to better adjust themselves for the bigger stage.
"This is my first National Winter Games experience, and it feels like a small-scale Olympic Games," said Olympic champion Liu Shaoang, who failed to earn a gold at the national event.
"Fierce competition will help us make mutual progress, and the National Games is a great opportunity for us to brace ourselves for the 2026 Winter Olympics," he added.
PROMISING FUTURE
Thanks to the performances of athletes like Su Yiming, Gu Ailing and Xu Mengtao, China's gold medals on snow surpassed those on ice for the first time at Beijing 2022.
And bright prospects can still be seen in snow sports events. Olympic champion Gu Ailing did not attend the National Games, but continued her winning form elsewhere, emerging victorious in the FIS Women's Freeski Halfpipe World Cup last December.
"It feels great. In the second and third runs, I chose to try some actions that I haven't successfully done in training," she said after the competition.
Plenty of rising stars have also impressed during the National Games, with Sun Long of Jilin notching four golds in the star-studded short track speed skating events.
Sun Long (L) competes in the men's 500m final at the 14th National Winter Games. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)
Wu Yu of Liaoning secured three golds in the men's long-distance speed skating events. Acknowledging the gap between China's long-distance speed skating and the world's elite, Wu was nevertheless optimistic about shining at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
"My overall performance in the national team has improved, so I have higher expectations for myself," Wu said.
The National Games added youth categories into its competition to build a platform for young athletes to gain experience, which is deemed conducive to the talent selection for the upcoming Winter Olympics.
"We have Olympic champions at the National Games, and also a large number of athletes of the younger generation. Many young talents have showcased their capabilities, which is of great significance for the talent pool in winter sports," said Zhang Xin, an official from China's General Administration of Sport.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Gateway news portal”。http://saintkittsandnevis.downmusic.org/html-46f999940.html
Related articles
Revealed: Brit tourist, 19, subjected to sex attack in Majorca 'was gang
entertainmentA 19-year-old British tourist who was subjected to a horrific sex attack in Majorca 'was gang-raped ...
Read moreREVEALED: The New York towns that STILL ban booze nine decades after end of prohibition
entertainmentNew York towns and villages that still ban booze nine decades post-prohibition could soon be forced ...
Read moreAlesha Dixon storms off Britain's Got Talent stage following a contestant's 'offensive' act
entertainmentAlesha Dixon stormed out of Britain's Got Talent stage following a contestant's 'offensive' performa ...
Read more
Popular articles
- What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
- Horrific moment Orange County man dropkicks tiny puppy down the street
- Chicago police officer fatally shot overnight while heading home from work
- MP Mark Menzies, who allegedly misused campaign funds, won't seek reelection
- Everybody may love Raymond, but Ray Romano loves Peter Boyle
- 8 shot, 2 men killed at a party in Memphis park
Latest articles
NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
Sarah Jayne Dunn sets pulses racing in animal print bra as she joins chic Georgia May Foote at CO
Only one member of the royal family has ever run the London Marathon
Billy Horschel goes to Dominican Republic. He returns a PGA Tour winner again
Verona confirms Serie A status for another year after beating Salernitana
United escapes with shootout win after blowing three
LINKS
- More human remains believed those of missing woman wash up on beach
- Chinese Grand Prix could deliver drama to F1 and slow Verstappen's victory march
- Netanyahu says Hamas No. 4 killed
- AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa
- Rivalries on tap with Barcelona
- Attack blamed on IS militants kills 22 pro
- Flames beat NHL
- Teenager is charged with terrorism offenses in stabbings of bishop and priest at Sydney church
- Prue Leith's recipe for seeing red... her husband's online shopping habit!
- Charlie Hanson's auction house is broken into as it prepared to sell Star Wars memorabilia