Team China won their first short track speed gold of the 2023-24 season at the first leg of the ISU World Cup in Montreal, Canada on Saturday.
The Chinese squad, made up of Gong Li, Zang Yize, Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang, finished first in the mixed 2,000m relay final in two minutes 40.683 seconds, followed by South Korea in 2:40.766 and Italy in 2:57.869.
Skaters of South Korea, China and Italy at the mixed 2,000m relay award ceremony in Montreal, Canada, October 21, 2023. /CFP
Liu Shaoang, who joined the Chinese team with his sibling Shaolin, replaced Lin Xiaojun in the final due to Lin's injuries, and became a major contributing force to Team China's victory as he outpaced Team South Korea in the last three laps and raced to the finish line with a final sprint.
The Liu brothers, born to a Chinese father and Hungarian monther, formerly represented Hungary before making their debut in China's national championships this March as a part of the Tianjin Municipality Team.
Chinese skaters also reached the men's 5,000m relay final A on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in the women's and men's 1,000m (1) finals, Kristen Santos-Griswold of the U.S. and Park Ji-won of South Korea finished first in 1:31.288 and 1:24.903, respectively.
In the women's and men's 1,500m final, Hanne Desmet, who won Belgium's first short track Olympic medal at the Beijing Winter Games, secured a gold with a final-lap pass in 2:27.863, and South Korea's Hwang Dae-heon won the men's in 2:23.666.
The ISU World Cup series consists of six legs, including a home contest for the Chinese skaters in the third leg, after they round up their campaign in Canada for the first two legs as well as the Four Continents Championships.
According to Zhang Jing, head coach of the Chinese short track team, this season will be used to build a solid foundation for the 2026 Winter Games, training younger members of the team and getting the veterans to find their rhythm again.