China concluded the 2024-25 International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Tour Beijing leg with outstanding performances on Sunday, securing gold medals in both the mixed team relay and the men’s 5,000-meter relay.
The final day kicked off with an electrifying mixed team relay. The Chinese team, featuring Fan Kexin, Gong Li, Liu Shaoang, and Sun Long, delivered a stellar performance. They clocked a time of 2 minutes and 39.115 seconds, outpacing competitors from South Korea, the United States, and Poland to claim victory in Final A. Meanwhile, the Netherlands topped Final B, followed by Canada and Italy.
“It was an incredibly intense race, especially in the final moments of the mixed relay,” shared Gong Li after the race. “Everyone gave it their all, and I’m thrilled we secured first place.”
In the women’s 1,500-meter event, American skaters Kristen Santos-Griswold and Corinne Stoddard achieved a remarkable one-two finish in Final A, with South Korea’s Kim Gil-li taking third place. Competing in Final B, China’s Gong Li clinched victory with a time of 2:45.032.
Reflecting on her performance, Gong admitted she faced challenges. “After competing in both yesterday’s and today’s events, I felt a bit fatigued, which affected my performance in the 1,500m semifinal,” she said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to Final A, which is a regret. I need to work on building my stamina in future training.”
Gong also discussed adapting to the new competition format. “Initially, the short intervals between races were difficult to adapt to, especially in the first two stages,” she explained. “However, we made adjustments during training, like shortening rest periods, which helped me gradually adapt.”
In the men’s 1,000-meter final, Canada’s Felix Roussel emerged victorious with a time of 1:25.352, followed by Michal Niewinski of Poland and Niall Treacy of Britain. South Korea’s Park Ji-won received a penalty in Final A, while China’s Liu Shaoang finished third in Final B.
The women’s 500-meter event saw Dutch world record holder Xandra Velzeboer dominate the race, finishing first in 42.078 seconds ahead of three Canadian skaters. Canada’s Florence Brunelle and Rikki Doak secured the second and third spots, respectively.
Reference(s):
China win two golds on last day of ISU short track tour in Beijing
cgtn.com
