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Top 10 Athletes to Represent China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are now underway, and a spectacular opening ceremony marked their official start on February 4th last week. Certain preliminary rounds had already taken place prior to the ceremony, but that did not take away from the grand atmosphere as athletes took to the stage. This year, the honor of being China’s flag bearers was given to athletes Tingyu Gao and Dan Zhao. The former is a speed skater who won a bronze medal in the Pyeongchang Olympics, while the latter is a skeleton athlete who ranked high during the 2020 Youth Olympic Games.

Although tensions were high due to various factors, including the ever-looming presence of the pandemic, things have been going quite smoothly so far thanks to the many measures taken by Chinese authorities to ensure that guests and contenders alike are safe.

Given its status as the host, China has high expectations for the ones who will be representing the country, and there are a lot of experienced faces among the nation’s teams, as well as young and very promising athletes. We look forward to their performances, and we have listed the top ten Chinese athletes who deserve your attention in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

  1. Dajing Wu
    • Age:27
    • Discipline:Short Track Speed Skating
    • Olympic medals:

      5

    • Instagram account:wudajing1994

      Given his stellar performance in the 2018 Winter Olympics, it was to be expected that we would see Dajing Wu represent China in 2022 as well. In Pyeongchang, he not only broke the world record by finishing the 500-meter short track race within 39.505 seconds but he also secured China’s only gold medal in that year’s Olympics.

      Although his career is not without its hiccups, as we saw during the ISU Short Speed Skating event when Dajing Wu was disqualified for committing a false start, those who support him remain keenly aware of his abilities and continue to have faith in him.

      With a track record of a gold medal in the 2018 Olympics, numerous gold, silver, and bronze medals secured during the World Championships and the World Cup, and his results in Beijing so far, it is not difficult to see why many firmly believe in his strengths. He and his team won the gold in the Mixed Team Relay on February 5th, and he also showed excellent results by ranking first during the Men's 1000m - Heats, which took place on the same day.

    • Wenjing Sui
      • Age:26
      • Discipline:Figure Skating
      • Olympic medals:

        1

      • Weibo account:Visit

        With the 2022 Beijing Olympics underway, Wenjing Sui and her partner, Cong Han, are off to a spectacular start. They broke the world record in the pair skating short program held on February 4th, coming in first with a score of 82.83.

        This is Wenjing Sui’s second time competing in the Olympics, and she first participated in the Olympics in 2018. She and her partner finished second back then, taking the silver position on the podium and marking China’s first Olympics pairs skating medal since their coach, Zhao Hongbo, and his wife, Shen Xue, won the gold in 2010.

        Things have not always been as glamorous for the duo, unfortunately, and even their 2018 performance was followed by a stress injury suffered by Wenjing Sui. The figure skating pair has a history of sustained injuries that have led to withdrawals from events, but thankfully, it seems that both are doing great this year and are able to showcase their skills and determination.

        Outside of the Olympics, the duo’s track record is also stellar. They boast 6 golden medals in the Four Continents Championships and have also won the World Championships two times.

      • Ailing Gu
        • Age:18
        • Discipline:Freestyle Skiing
        • Olympic medals:

          3 Youth Olympic Games medals

        • Instagram account:eileen_gu_

          American-born Elieen Gu, known as Ailing Gu among her Chinese audience, has an incredibly strong presence both Internationally and in China. She juggles her career as a model and being a professional skier and excels at both, evidently showing just how much ambition she has at 18-years old and making her a favorite among younger audiences.

          Her debut in the 2018-19 season of the World Cup left her with a silver and a gold medal in the Slopestyle discipline, marking the official start of her career in a way few athletes could hope for. Since then, her results have continued to impress, and she has won a number of medals the majority of which have been gold.

          Her recent achievements in the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships 2021 show that she continues to improve. Ailing Gu managed to land podium positions in all three disciplines, securing the gold for the first two competitions and a bronze medal in the big air event.

          She is competing in the three main freestyle skiing disciplines in the Olympics – halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air. February 7th saw her ranking fourth with 161.25 points in the women's Freeski big air qualification round and with that, she secured her participation in the finals. We eagerly await the upcoming Freeski events to see what else she has in store for us.

        • Xuetong Cai
          • Age:28
          • Discipline:Snowboard
          • Olympic medals:

            No podium ranks

          • Instagram account:xtongc

            When Xuetong Cai, or Tong Tong as fondly referred to by close ones and fans alike, was first scouted for her athletic abilities at age 10, snowboarding in China was practically in its infancy. That was soon to change, and with her results in the 2009 FIS World Youth Snowboarding Championship, she practically pioneered China's presence within the International snowboarding scene at age 16.

            Since then, a series of successful performances have cemented Xuetong Cai as the positive and ever-determined face of snowboarding in China. The last month of 2021 saw her winning yet another gold medal, this time during the FIS World Cup held in Colorado, USA.

            This spells good things to come for the athlete and she is one of the top medal contenders in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. This will be her fourth time competing in the Olympics, and her previous two performances were very strong, leaving her with a secured 6th and 5th spot at Sochi and Pyeongchang respectively. She did not quite reach the podium during either event, however, and this year, she is aiming to change that.

          • Yiming Su
            • Age:17
            • Discipline:Snowboard
            • Olympic medals:

              Athlete will be competing for the first time

            • Instagram account:mingsuyi

              Yiming Su is a promising athlete who is competing in the Olympics for the first time, and snowboarding fans from far and wide are rooting for the 17-year old prodigy.

              This is all par for the course for Yiming Su, as he is no stranger to attention. He became a sensation on the web and among Chinese and international snowboarding circles thanks to landing a Backslide 1980 Indy Crail in Austria. This is a stunt that requires an incredibly high level of technical prowess, and no other snowboarder has managed to perform this move other than Yiming Su himself in the history of the sport.

              His affinity to landing world firsts does not end here, as he also stunned audiences at the FIS Snowboard World Cup with a Backside Triple Cork 1800 and a Frontside 1800. Yiming Su is the first athlete to have achieved this pair of moves in an FIS competition. He has also won numerous medals, with one of his most notable achievements being his Big Air gold medal in the 2021 FIS World Cup, making him China’s first Big Air gold medalist.

              As for his most recent performances, he won the silver medal at the Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Olympics event on the 7th, and his future participation in the Men's Snowboard Big Air event is definitely something to look forward to.

            • Mengtao Xu
              • Age:31
              • Discipline:Freestyle Skiing
              • Olympic medals:

                1

              • Instagram account:taotaoski

                In January, Mengtao Xu practically dominated the 2021–22 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup season and took home the gold. With 2022 off to such a good start, there is certainly reason to believe that the rest of the year will be just as successful for this freestyle aerial legend.

                Her career has been more than excellent. With numerous World Championships and World Cup achievements under her belt, and, most notably in the current context, her title as a silver medalist at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Mengtao Xu’s past results give us a good reason to believe that she has more in store for her supporters and nation in the upcoming Olympics competitions.

                Given all of this, keeping an eye on her is a good idea, especially for those wishing to wager on the outcomes of freestyle skiing events she will be taking part in during the Beijing Olympics.

              • Ziwei Ren
                • Age:24
                • Discipline:Short Track Speed Skating
                • Olympic medals:

                  2

                • Weibo account:Visit

                  Ziwei Ren is an Olympic silver medalist who made his country proud during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. He is now competing in Beijing, but naturally, his career does not start and end with the Olympics. He first won a bronze medal in the 2014 World Junior Championships in Erzurum, and he also grabbed the gold medal in the 3000m discipline. Throughout the years, the athlete has continued to reach high ranks in various World Championship events and has stepped on the podium 4 times, securing one bronze and three silver medals.

                  In the 2021-22 World Cup Season, he placed 3rd in the men’s 500m discipline and won the gold in the men’s 1500m.

                  As for his results in Beijing so far, Ziwei Ren, alongside his teammates, won the gold in the Mixed Team Relay held on February 5th, and he also ranked first during the Men's 1000m - Heats round.

                • Tingyu Gao
                  • Age:24
                  • Discipline:Short Track Speed Skating
                  • Olympic medals:

                    1

                  • Instagram account:gao.tingyu

                    Tingyu Gao had the honor of being one of China’s two flag bearers during the 2022 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. Looking into his track record, it is not difficult to see why he was chosen for such a significant role, seeing as he has performed quite well in recent years.

                    His career in the Olympics in particular has some impressive highlights. In the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics held in 2018, he won a bronze medal in the Men's 500m speed skating event, making him one of China’s eight medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics. His latest achievement was winning the gold at the Speed Skating World Cup held in Poland last November. This was Tingyu Gao’s first World Cup gold medal, and we are confident that it will be followed by more exceptional performances during the Beijing Olympics. If you are planning on following the Men's 500m discipline, Tingyu Gao is an athlete worth paying attention to.

                  • Zongyang Jia
                    • Age:30
                    • Discipline:Freestyle Skiing
                    • Olympic medals:

                      2

                    • Weibo account:Visit

                      The 2022 Beijing Olympics will not be Zongyang Jia’s first rodeo. He is an experienced athlete with many achievements, including a victory in the Ski Federation Freestyle Skiing Aerials World Cup 2017.

                      Most importantly, he is also a three-time olympian, and will also be participating in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Out of his previous achievements, he has stood on the podium twice, the first of which was in 2014 during the Sochi Winter Olympics, when he secured the bronze. He won his second Olympics medal in Pyeongchang in 2018, getting enough points that left him just shy of the gold and he received the silver medal.

                      Although a silver medal from the Olympics is an amazing feat in and of itself, it can be frustrating for some athletes. Especially in cases like this, where the gold was just beyond Zongyang Jia’s reach. This is one of the reasons behind his determination to stand first on this year’s Aerial Ski podium, and his future performances are highly anticipated.

                    • Jiaxu Sun
                      • Age:22
                      • Discipline:Freestyle Skiing
                      • Olympic medals:

                        Athlete will be competing for the first time

                      • Weibo account:Visit

                        Sun Jiaxu is a 22-year old athlete, and his participation in Beijing’s Freestyle Skiing events will be his first time taking part in the Olympics. Despite this, he does have a rich and successful history in other competitions. He and his teammates won the silver medal in the 2019 FIS Freestyle World Championships - Aerials Team, and he also took home three gold medals during the solo and team events in the 2019 Men’s World Cup.

                        More recently, on January 5th, he stood on the highest step of the podium after winning the FIS Freestyle 2022 Men's Aerials event. This is a fantastic way of starting off 2022, and his fans are eager to see how he will perform in the Beijing men’s aerials and team aerials freestyle skiing disciplines.


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