Chinese athletes Zhao Dan and Lin Qinwei secured a historic bronze medal in the skeleton mixed team event at the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Championships in Lake Placid, New York, on Sunday. The duo clocked 1:54.81, finishing behind gold medalists Mystique Ro and Austin Florian of the U.S. (1:54.53) and British pair Tabitha Stoecker and Matt Weston.
The achievement highlights China’s growing presence in winter sports ahead of the skeleton mixed team event’s debut at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Zhao and Lin had previously made history in early January by claiming China’s first World Cup title in the discipline during a competition in Winterberg, Germany.
Another Chinese pair, Li Yuxi and Chen Wenhao, finished eighth in the championships. The results signal China’s progress in cultivating talent for niche winter sports, offering fresh opportunities for athletes and investors eyeing Asia’s expanding winter sports market.
