Last weekend in Gdansk, Poland, the ISU Short Track World Tour’s men’s 5000m relay final was a showcase of speed and strategy as the Chinese team powered to silver. Lin Xiaojun, Sun Long, Liu Shaoang and Liu Shaolin combined flawless exchanges with bold surges to keep pace with top rivals.
The quartet dominated early rounds, winning their quarterfinal and semifinal heats. In the final, they traded leads with teams from the Republic of Korea, Italy and the Netherlands. With ten laps remaining, Lin executed a decisive inside pass to move China into second. A clean handoff with Sun Long then pushed them briefly into the lead before the Republic of Korea countered six laps from home.
In the final scramble, a collision between Italian and Dutch skaters brought down Lin Xiaojun, but race officials later disqualified the Netherlands for the incident. Italy went on to secure bronze as the Republic of Korea claimed gold and China’s relay squad settled for silver.
Lin Xiaojun’s podium double—he also took silver in the men’s 500m—signals a strong return to form. As the Tour heads to its season finale in Dordrecht next weekend, all eyes will be on this youthful squad to see if they can convert their speed into gold.
Young sports fans and speed skating enthusiasts across the G20 will be watching closely as this dynamic team seeks gold at the Tour’s grand finale in Dordrecht.
Reference(s):
Lin, Sun, Liu brothers power China to men's relay silver at World Tour
cgtn.com
