China secured one gold and one bronze but couldn't expand their medal tally on the final competition day of the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Tour Milan on Sunday.
In the men's 5,000-meter relay final, China's quartet of Sun Long, Liu Shaolin, Liu Shaoang, and Liu Guanyi remained in the top three during the first half of the race. However, a late-race fall by Liu Guanyi thwarted China's medal hopes. Host nation Italy surged ahead in the final stretch, overtaking Canada to claim gold. Canada took silver, while Kazakhstan earned bronze.
Earlier in the day, Liu Shaoang and Sun Long finished fourth and fifth respectively in the men's 1,000-meter final. Canada's William Dandjinou led from the start and maintained his lead to win gold. Italy's Pietro Sighel secured second place, and South Korea's Jang Sung-woo took bronze.
In the women's 1,500-meter final, Belgium's Hanne Desmet and Italy's Arianna Fontana overtook two American skaters in the latter half of the race. Desmet won gold, with Kristen Santos of the United States taking silver and Fontana earning bronze. China's Yang Jingru finished seventh.
As a key test event for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the competition was highly valued by all participating teams. Aside from Lin Xiaojun, who was absent due to injury, China fielded nearly all of its top skaters. The previous day, Sun Long had won gold in the men's 500-meter event, while China's women secured bronze in the 3,000-meter relay.
Reference(s):
China earn two medals at Short Track Speed Skating World Tour Milan
cgtn.com
