Earning her wings

In the early hours of Sunday morning Beijing time, history was quietly rewritten on the ski jumping ramps of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Competing in the women's normal hill individual event, 21-year-old Chinese athlete Zeng Ping finished 15th, delivering the country's best-ever Olympic result in the discipline. The placing may not have come with a medal, but for China's still-developing ski jumping program, it marked a significant breakthrough — and for Zeng herself, it was the culmination of a long and winding journey defined by resilience, patience and belief.

For Zeng, ski jumping was never part of the original plan.

She grew up in Yibin, Sichuan province, a city on the banks of the Yangtze River known more for its liquor culture and bamboo forests than for ice and snow.

Winters there are mild, snowfall is rare, and the world of winter sports is a very distant concept.

As a child, Zeng's days were spent not on skis, but in a taekwondo gym, where she trained rigorously, building strength, balance and discipline.

The turning point came unexpectedly, when a cross-discipline talent program, organized by the General Administration of Sport of China, reached Yibin. Ski jumping — an event Zeng had previously only seen on television — suddenly became a real option.

Driven by curiosity and a willingness to challenge herself, she, quite literally, took the leap. "At first, I can't say I liked it," Zeng recalled."But the harder something feels, the more I want to see if I can do it."

Her athletic foundation soon began to show its value.

Years of taekwondo training gave her powerful legs, strong core stability and a keen sense of spatial awareness — qualities well suited to ski jumping. Four months into training, she experienced a moment that changed everything.

"That was the first time I truly felt what flying was like," she said. "After the takeoff, everything went quiet. There was only the sound of the wind. When I landed, I just wanted to do it again."

Once the mental barrier was crossed, progress came quickly. Within a year, Zeng advanced from basic training to competing in international B-level events. During the 2020–21 season, she began appearing regularly on the international circuit.

Then came the setback. In 2021, an injury forced Zeng out of contention, and she could only watch from the sidelines as her teammates competed at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Two years later, inconsistent results led to her temporary departure from the national team. At the time, Sichuan had yet to establish its own ski jumping squad, leaving Zeng in limbo.

"She went through many rounds of adjustment and elimination," recalled Xie Yong, head coach of the Sichuan ski jumping team. "It was a very difficult period."

The turning point arrived in March 2024, when the Sichuan ski jumping team was officially formed. One of its first major decisions was to bring in Roman Pashkin, a former Russian national team ski jumper who had previously worked with the Chinese team during the Beijing Olympic cycle, as both a coach and equipment specialist.

Pashkin had noticed Zeng's potential years earlier. Reunited, coach and athlete quickly developed a strong rapport.

He admired her determination and aerial instincts; she trusted his direct, no-nonsense approach.

"I trust her completely — one hundred percent," Pashkin said."That kind of trust is rare. Sometimes we don't need many words. One look is enough."

Rebuilding confidence, however, did not come as quickly. At the FIS Ski Jumping Intercontinental Cup in December 2024 at the National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, Zeng struggled on the opening day, weighed down by pressure and frustration.

"I was trying my best, but my body just couldn't deliver," she recalled.

What followed was a brief physical cue from her coach, which Zeng later said helped her reset mentally."On my second attempt, I produced my best jump of the year."

Two weeks later, she returned to the podium at the national level, setting a new Chinese women's ski jumping distance record. In March 2025, she claimed gold at the national championships, earning her way back onto the Chinese team.

The most significant breakthrough came in September, in Einsiedeln, Switzerland — a venue with painful memories. It was there that Zeng had crashed hard in 2021, ending her Beijing Olympics dream — an experience that lingered in her mind.

"That fall was scary," she admitted. "But, this time, when I slid down the in-run, the fear was gone."

She went on to claim victory in two Intercontinental Cup events at the venue, setting personal bests and producing China's strongest performances to date at that level.

Confidence from that carried her into the 2025–26 World Cup season. On Dec 31, at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany, Zeng finished sixth in the women's large hill — China's best result at an international A-level ski jumping event.

The following day, her 21st birthday, brought something even more memorable. Competing in Oberstdorf, Germany, on New Year's Day, Zeng advanced to the final with a composed first jump, then soared to the top of the standings with a powerful second attempt.

As the remaining competitors jumped, the wait felt endless. When it was over, Zeng stood second overall with 257.7 points, securing China's first-ever World Cup podium in the discipline.

"I honestly didn't expect it," she said later with a laugh. "Maybe it was a birthday bonus."

Soon after, she wrote on social media: "When you don't even realize how well you're doing, that's when you're doing well."

It was effort, rather than luck.

In January, the World Cup moved to Zhangjiakou. Exhausted from travel, Zeng fell ill, but, seeing that nine of the world's top 10 athletes were on the start list, she still chose to compete. Suffering from a fever and severe allergic rashes, she finished fourth in one event and eighth in another.

Each rise and fall, though, has strengthened her wings.

Now, on the Olympic stage, Zeng's persistence has finally been rewarded, and for China's ski jumping program, her performance signals a future no longer defined by participation alone.

On Wednesday, Zeng was in action again, when she and her teammates Song Qiwu, Liu Qi and Zhao Jiawen qualified for the mixed team final, putting them among the top teams with an opportunity to compete for a medal. They eventually finished in eighth place.

Zeng is now expected to turn her focus to Sunday's large hill event, where she'll be hoping to soar once more, capturing the same feeling that drew her into the sport years ago.

"When you're in the air, you can see the mountains, the people — everything," she said. "You feel the wind, you hear the birds. It's like, if you don't move, you could keep flying. That's the feeling I love."