Chinese Olympic Champions Hope To Defend Titles At 2026 Winter Games

China's athletes who were crowned at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games have vowed to defend their titles at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo

HARBIN, China, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th May, 2022 ) :China's athletes who were crowned at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games have vowed to defend their titles at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Both Winter Games speed skating 500m champion Gao Tingyu and short track speed skating 1,000m champion Ren Ziwei expressed their hopes to retain their titles in 2026 after a symposium in Heilongjiang, a traditional winter sports powerhouse whose athletes contributed four gold and two bronze medals to China at Beijing 2022.

"If I can stand on the track of the 2026 Winter Olympics, I still hope to win the championship," Gao said.

After Beijing 2022, the 24-year-old speed skater participated in several social activities and will return to his hometown of Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, to accompany his family for a few days.

"I have some injuries right now, so I need to rest and then prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics," he said.

After Beijing 2022, many Chinese athletes have set new goals.

"A new journey begins since the moment you Walk off the podium. The first two years of the next Winter Olympics cycle are mainly to ensure one's physical function, control injuries, continue to train hard, and compete for the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics," said the men's 1,000m champion.

Zhang Yuting, Ren Ziwei's teammate and the Beijing 2022 short track speed skating mixed team relay champion, returned to Harbin not long ago and resumed training.

Under her influence, Zhang's younger sister is also undergoing short track speed skating training and is chasing her dream on the ice rink with her elder sibling.

In addition to training, many Chinese Winter Olympic champions have also begun to take on more social responsibilities.

"Winter sports are becoming more and more popular in China. Heilongjiang Province has a long winter sports tradition. I will definitely work hard to promote them," Gao said.