Chinese athletes continued their impressive performance on the second day of the ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, securing seven gold medals across various events on Sunday.
The excitement began with Xu Mengtao, China's reigning Olympic freestyle skiing champion, who triumphed in the women's aerials final. After previously claiming silver 18 years ago at the sixth Asian Winter Games in Changchun, Jilin Province, Xu quickly ascended to the top of the rankings in Harbin, finishing with a remarkable score of 90.94 points.
Her compatriot, Chen Xuezheng, followed closely to secure the silver medal, while Kazakhstan's Ayana Zholdas took home bronze.
The host nation's dominance extended to the men's aerials final, where Chinese skiers swept the podium. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics champion, Qi Guangpu, made a strong start, but his compatriot Li Xinpeng showcased exceptional skill to ultimately capture the title with 123.45 points. Yang Longxiao claimed silver, and Qi secured bronze.
China also dominated the women's five-kilometer cross-country skiing freestyle final, sweeping the top four positions. Bayani Jialin clinched the gold with a victorious time of 12 minutes and 7.5 seconds. Dinigeer Yilamujiang earned silver, Chi Chunxue took bronze, and Chen Lingshuang finished fourth.
Ski mountaineering events saw China achieve a clean sweep as well. In the women's sprint, Cidanyuzhen delivered a powerful performance to secure gold, followed by Yu Jingxuan with silver and Suolangquzhen with bronze. On the men's side, Xinjiang skier Buluer grabbed gold, Zhang Chenghao took silver, and Bi Yuxin completed the podium with bronze.
Indoor competitions maintained China's impressive form in short track skating events. In the women's 3,000-meter relay, 31-year-old Olympic champion Fan Kexin led the home team, which included Gong Li, Zhang Chutong, and Wang Xinran. Despite tough competition from South Korea, the Chinese quartet delivered an outstanding performance to clinch gold with a time of 4 minutes and 11.371 seconds. Kazakhstan secured silver, while Japan took bronze.
Earlier, China's Zhang Chutong won bronze in the women's 1,000-meter race, with South Korea's Choi Min-jeong and Kim Gil-li taking gold and silver, respectively. In the men's 1,000-meter event, China's Liu Shaoang also earned bronze, while South Korea's Jang Sung-woo won gold and Park Ji-won took silver.
The day's events concluded with a dramatic turn in the men's 5,000-meter relay. A foul by Park Ji-won caused Lin Xiaojun to fall in the closing moments, resulting in the home team finishing with bronze after South Korea was disqualified. Kazakhstan emerged victorious, followed by Japan in second place.
Reference(s):
China continues dominance with strong displays at Asian Winter Games
cgtn.com
