Four Chinese snowboarders have secured spots in the FIS Snowboard World Cup halfpipe finals at Zhangjiakou's Secret Garden Resort, marking a strong start to the 2025-2026 season. Three women and one man advanced through Thursday's qualifiers, positioning China as a key contender ahead of Friday's medal-deciding rounds.
Veteran rider Cai Xuetong demonstrated resilience after an initial stumble, scoring 72.75 on her second run to claim seventh place in women's qualifying. The four-time Olympian, eyeing a historic fifth Winter Games appearance in Italy this February, joins teammates Wu Shaotong (71.00 points) and 2018 PyeongChang silver medalist Liu Jiayu (66.00) in Friday's final. They'll face stiff competition from the Republic of Korea's rising star Choi Ga-on, who dominated qualifying with 93.00 points.
On the men's side, Wang Ziyang emerged as China's sole finalist after placing seventh in his heat with 67.00 points. The 24-year-old will compete against 13 international riders, including top qualifiers from Japan and Australia.
This season's opening World Cup event has drawn particular attention as athletes fine-tune techniques ahead of February's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. With finals scheduled for Friday afternoon local time, all eyes will be on whether Chinese riders can convert their home-slope advantage into podium finishes.
