China Wins First Figure Skating Medal at Asian Winter Games
Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing secure silver in ice dance as Chinese athletes dominate other events.
HARBIN, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) — In a historic achievement for Chinese figure skating, the duo of Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing captured the silver medal in the ice dance event at the 9th Asian Winter Games held in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.
This marks China's first-ever figure skating medal in the history of the Asian Winter Games.
During the free dance segment, Ren and Xing, competing as the fifth pair, delivered a compelling performance, scoring 61.80 points in technical elements and 45.16 points in program components.
Their total score across both the rhythm dance and free dance was insufficient to surpass Japan's Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita, who clinched gold with a combined score of 173.31 points.
The bronze medal was awarded to the Japanese pair of Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama.
Despite falling just 2.06 points short of the gold medal, Ren and Xing expressed optimism about their performance.
"We’ve already shown our best level, and I believe that we’ll skate better in the future," said Ren.
Their coach, Zheng Xun, highlighted the duo's rapid improvement in their brief partnership, having teamed up only ten months prior.
In addition to the figure skating achievements, Chinese skiers exhibited remarkable performance in ski mountaineering.
The team comprising Cidanyuzhen and Buluer secured gold in the mixed relay event, with their compatriots Yu Jingxuan/Bi Yuxin and Suolangquzhen/Liu Jianbin taking silver and bronze, respectively.
The winning time was recorded at 27:48.67.
Weather conditions played a pivotal role in the scheduling of the Freeski Big Air event, with adjustments made due to adverse conditions.
Nonetheless, the change did not hinder China’s performance.
Freestyle skier Liu Mengting claimed victory in the women’s Freeski Big Air, backed by Han Linshan and Yang Ruyi, who won silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Rai Kasamura of Japan triumphed in the men's category, securing gold, followed by South Korea's Yoon Jong-hyun and Shin Yeong-seop, who claimed silver and bronze.
Additionally, China concluded its involvement in cross-country skiing with victories in two team events.
The women’s 4x5km relay team finished first with a time of 53:59.3, followed by teams from Kazakhstan and Japan.
The men’s 4x7.5km relay team also emerged victorious, finishing in 1:12:09.6, outpacing Japan and Kazakhstan for the silver and bronze medals.
The Asian Winter Games have thus far highlighted China's growing prominence in winter sports, following the recent success in figure skating and ski events.
This marks China's first-ever figure skating medal in the history of the Asian Winter Games.
During the free dance segment, Ren and Xing, competing as the fifth pair, delivered a compelling performance, scoring 61.80 points in technical elements and 45.16 points in program components.
Their total score across both the rhythm dance and free dance was insufficient to surpass Japan's Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita, who clinched gold with a combined score of 173.31 points.
The bronze medal was awarded to the Japanese pair of Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama.
Despite falling just 2.06 points short of the gold medal, Ren and Xing expressed optimism about their performance.
"We’ve already shown our best level, and I believe that we’ll skate better in the future," said Ren.
Their coach, Zheng Xun, highlighted the duo's rapid improvement in their brief partnership, having teamed up only ten months prior.
In addition to the figure skating achievements, Chinese skiers exhibited remarkable performance in ski mountaineering.
The team comprising Cidanyuzhen and Buluer secured gold in the mixed relay event, with their compatriots Yu Jingxuan/Bi Yuxin and Suolangquzhen/Liu Jianbin taking silver and bronze, respectively.
The winning time was recorded at 27:48.67.
Weather conditions played a pivotal role in the scheduling of the Freeski Big Air event, with adjustments made due to adverse conditions.
Nonetheless, the change did not hinder China’s performance.
Freestyle skier Liu Mengting claimed victory in the women’s Freeski Big Air, backed by Han Linshan and Yang Ruyi, who won silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Rai Kasamura of Japan triumphed in the men's category, securing gold, followed by South Korea's Yoon Jong-hyun and Shin Yeong-seop, who claimed silver and bronze.
Additionally, China concluded its involvement in cross-country skiing with victories in two team events.
The women’s 4x5km relay team finished first with a time of 53:59.3, followed by teams from Kazakhstan and Japan.
The men’s 4x7.5km relay team also emerged victorious, finishing in 1:12:09.6, outpacing Japan and Kazakhstan for the silver and bronze medals.
The Asian Winter Games have thus far highlighted China's growing prominence in winter sports, following the recent success in figure skating and ski events.
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