Finding their groove

The swish of skates slicing across ice echoes through the training hall of the national winter sports training center in Beijing, where a giant screen on the first floor quietly ticks down the days to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

With each second slipping away, China's short-track speed skating team sharpens its focus, determined to make a strong push at next year's Games.

Last month, the squad staged a three-day internal selection meet — one of the key benchmarks for the new season.

Household names such as Sun Long, Lin Xiaojun, Liu Shaoang, and Fan Kexin all took their positions on the start line.

The opener featured an unusual "6 laps + 3 laps" format, with athletes racing twice and combining their times. The top 20 men and women then advanced to the official contests, which included the classic 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m distances, capped off with relay practice. The trials offered both a test of readiness and a warm-up for the demanding ISU World Tour ahead.

Behind the races lies a carefully structured "three-step" selection process, explained team leader Liu Hao. The first step was assembling the national training squad based on results from last season's world championships, World Tour, the Harbin Asian Winter Games and domestic championships.

The second step evaluated athletes through a points system that weighs international performances, results from the internal selection races and training readiness, to determine who would compete in the 2025-26 World Tour.

"The team is divided into two groups based on training capacity and technical and tactical levels," Liu Hao explained.

"Our dual goals are to prepare for the Winter Olympics while also developing young talent, ensuring the long-term health and sustainable growth of the sport."

The third and final step will see the squad selected for the World Tour whittled down further to those who will ultimately travel to Milan.

To ensure fairness, the points were calculated with precision: 30 percent from last season's world championships and Asian Winter Games, 30 percent from World Tour results, 30 percent from the internal selection races and 10 percent from training performance and overall attitude.

The internal trials were also open to a wider pool of athletes — anyone who finished in the top 30 at last season's national all-around championships, men's and women's categories alike, could register.

"This competition was not only about contributing 30 percent of the points toward the selection plan, but also about giving athletes a valuable warm-up before the World Tour," Liu Hao said.

The World Tour carries immense weight, as performances are directly tied to Olympic qualification. The 2025-26 season begins with back-to-back legs in Montreal, Canada, starting Thursday, before moving to Europe in November for weekends in Gdansk, Poland, and Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Results from these four competitions will ultimately determine which athletes secure their Olympic spots.

At the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, short-track speed skating will feature nine events. Under the ISU rules, each country's three best results from the four World Tour stops count toward Olympic quotas.

Relay spots go to the top eight nations in the men's 5,000m and women's 3,000m, while individual quotas are awarded to the top 32 in the 500m and 1,000m, the top 36 in the 1,500m, and the top 12 in the mixed 2,000m relay. Each country may qualify a maximum of five men and five women.

Liu Hao emphasized that China's Olympic lineup will be drawn from the World Tour roster.

"According to the plan, the national training squad set off this week to begin the new season, and is scheduled to return in early December," he said. "The entire team will work together, determined to secure the maximum quota of skaters for Milano-Cortina 2026."

China's short-track squad officially assembled in April, signaling the start of Olympic preparation. The athletes began with military-style training at the national training base in Hainan, instilling discipline, resilience and a strong sense of unity, before launching into summer training.

"The entire squad is now in high spirits, and those who had injuries have all returned to regular, systematic training," Liu Hao said.

At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China's short-track speed skating team captured two golds, one silver and one bronze, cementing its status as a global contender. Since then, the squad has undergone a natural generational shift.

At this February's Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, the team added to its medal haul with two golds, two silvers and four bronzes, blending the experience of veterans with the promise of younger athletes.

Yet China's path to Olympic success in Milan is far from assured.

At this year's Short Track Speed Skating World Championships, Canada dominated the competition, sweeping six golds and every men's title, while China managed only two medals: silver in the men's 5,000m relay and bronze in the men's 1,500m.

The upcoming Olympics will present stiff competition not only from Canada and Asian powerhouse South Korea, but also from strong European teams, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. On top of this, the squad must carefully manage injuries, which could affect both performance and strategic planning.

By Sept 28, the squad had been shaved down to just the World Tour skaters — six men and six women.

The most senior is Olympic champion Fan, soon to turn 32, who will lead the women's team, which also includes Wang Xinran, Gong Li, Yang Jingru, Zhang Chutong, and Zang Yize.

The men's team for the World Tour, led by Lin, will also include Sun, Zhu Yiding, Liu Shaolin, Liu Shaoang and Li Wenlong.

Acknowledging the challenges ahead, Liu Hao said: "Short-track is developing rapidly, and international competition is incredibly fierce. From a competitive standpoint, we don't hold the advantage.

"But please believe this: bringing glory to the country will always be the most important mission for China's short-track team.

"We will give our all, fight hard and strive for outstanding results."

liyingxue@chinadaily.com.cn