China's Wu Dajing (leading) and Pietro Sighel of Italy in action during the mixed relay in ongoing ISU World Cup Short Track test event for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, October 21, 2021. /CFP
China smashed the world record in the 2,000m mixed relay on Thursday during the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track Speed Skating World Cup event in Beijing, outgunning South Korea and the Netherlands.
The Chinese team, made up of Olympic champion Wu Dajing, Fan Kexin, Wu Chunyu and Ren Ziwei, finished in a time of two minutes 37.747 seconds in the event's quarterfinals at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium.
In the men's 1,500m, Chinese hopefuls Ren Ziwei, An Kai and Sun Long all qualified for the quarterfinals. "My body was a bit stiff in the beginning," said Ren after the race. "But as I kept skating, I found the best conditions. I'm aiming for medals in the next few days."
Ren Ziwei of China leads the pack in the 1500m quarterfinals during the ISU World Cup Short Track test event for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, October 21, 2021. /CFP
The optimism was echoed by An, the FISU World University Games men's 1,500m champion. "We are well-prepared for the World Cup. My body feels good, the competition feels good too. The ice is really nice and fast," he said.
"The result helped us further prepare for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. We want even better results," added Sun.
In the women's 1,500m quarterfinals, China's Han Yutong and Zhang Yuting sailed into the next round as group leaders, while Dutch star Suzanne Schulting suffered a shock elimination after failing to finish fastest among third-place finishers.
Despite the huge blow, the Olympic champion expressed her admiration for the COVID-19 countermeasures adopted by the hosts. "Everything is pretty well organized. I think China did a really great job and I feel really safe and I'm happy to be here," she beamed.