Not even a fever can stop Wu Dajing from dominating the ice skating rink.
Chinese speed skating star Wu shrugged off his latest bout of illness in his first match since claiming China's first gold at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, powering through the men's 500m and 1000m heats with incredible ease at the 2018 Short Track Speed Skating League on Friday.
The 24-year-old, who stunned the skating world by breaking the world record twice in the men's 500m Short Track event in PyeongChang earlier this year, produced another display of absolute power, maintaining a comfortable lead right from the outset.
Wu Dajing won China' s first gold medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games by breaking world record in short track men's 500m on February 23, 2018. /VCG File Photo
"The result is not my chief concern this year. It is more important to be stable and consistent so as to get ready for the 2022 Winter Olympics," said a modest Wu.
Obviously Wu, who caught the flu after arriving in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, did not really get out of second gear during the heats, but it was enough to take him into the next round where he was also joined by Jilin teammate Han Tianyu who advanced comfortably.
The greatest upset of the day was provided by Chinese national team player Qu Chunyu, who made a shock exit from the women's 1000m heats after suffering a crushing slip in the middle of the race.
Qu Chunyu crashes out in the short track speed skating 1000m heats on October 12, 2018. /VCG File Photo
Olympic champions Fan Kexin, Li Jinyu, Han Yutong and other big names all came through the heats in the same event.