Short track speed skating event kicks off with star athletes making appearance

Players compete skills at the Short Track Speed Skating Open Group Competition at the 14th National Winter Games. [Photo/Grassland Media]

The Short Track Speed Skating Open Group Competition at the 14th National Winter Games commenced in Hulunbuir city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Feb 15.

Renowned short track speed skaters, including Wu Dajing, Ren Ziwei, Fan Kexin, Lin Xiaojun, Liu Shaolin, and Liu Shaoang, graced the competition.

The day featured the quarter-finals for the men's and women's 1,500 meters, as well as the preliminary rounds for the 500 meters and 1,000 meters.

Feb 16 marked the first finals day of the Short Track Speed Skating Open Group Competition.

Three gold medals were awarded on that day, with Zang Yize from the Heilongjiang team, Sun Long from the Jilin team and a team from Shandong respectively securing victories in the women's 1,500 meters, men's 1,500 meters and mixed team relay.

The women's 1,500 meters final began with seven participants. The competition was intense, and in the last lap, Zang Yize successfully surpassed the leading skater Zhang Chutong from the Jilin team, securing the championship with a time of 2 min 22.262 sec. Zhang Chutong and her teammate Guo Yihan took second and third place with times of 2 min 22.447 sec and 2 min 22.532 sec, respectively.

The men's 1,500 meters final gathered attention with the presence of top athletes. Sun Long ultimately claimed victory with a time of 2 min 12.116 sec. Li Wenlong from the Shandong team secured second place with a time of 2 min 13.299 sec, while Ma Wei from the Beijing team took third place with a time of 2 min 13.499 sec.

The mixed team relay, the highlight of the event, witnessed fierce competition among the teams from Tianjin, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Shandong. Led by Li Wenlong and Gong Li, the Shandong team clinched the gold medal with a time of 2 min 42.906 sec, while the Jilin and Tianjin teams secured second and third place, respectively.

On Feb 17, the Short Track Speed Skating Open Group Competition enters its second finals day, where two gold medals will be awarded for the men's and women's 500 meters.