Four Chinese riders reach FIS Snowboard World Cup halfpipe finals on home snow in Zhangjiakou

The FIS Snowboard World Cup season got underway on Wednesday at the Secret Garden Resort in Zhangjiakou, the first of seven events this winter. The qualifying rounds in Chongli District featured a strong showing from home athletes, with three Chinese riders advancing to the women's halfpipe final and one sealing a spot in the men's competition.

Four-time Olympian Cai Xuetong led the Chinese contingent in women's qualifying. After falling on her first run and earning only 9.50 points, the 32-year-old, who is aiming for a fifth Winter Olympics appearance in Italy in February, delivered a solid second run to score 72.75. That left the three-time world champion sitting seventh overall to secure her place in the final.

Wu Shaotong also progressed comfortably, scoring 71.00 points on her first run to finish eighth overall. Meanwhile, Liu Jiayu, a four-time Olympian and silver medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, clinched the tenth and final qualifying spot with 66.00 on her second run.

The Republic of Korea's 17-year-old Choi Ga-on topped women's qualifying with an impressive 93.00 points, followed by Japanese pair Rise Kudo (91.25) and Mitsuki Ono (87.25).

On the men's side, Wang Ziyang emerged as the sole Chinese qualifier among seven home riders. Scoring 67.00 points on his second run, he placed seventh in his heat to wrap up a spot in the final. The men's qualifiers boasted 36 riders divided into two heats, with the top seven from each side advancing.

The finals are set for Friday at the Secret Garden, as Chinese riders look to maintain their momentum with medals on the line.