After missing the initial stops in Montreal and Salt Lake City, China's short track speed skater Fan Kexin made a spectacular season debut at the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Tour in Beijing. Returning to the Capital Indoor Stadium, Fan secured Team China's first gold medal, echoing her triumph at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
As a seasoned athlete, Fan took the lead in her team's pursuit of glory on home ice. On Friday, she advanced in the women's 500-meter, 2,000-meter mixed relay, and women's 3,000-meter relay, demonstrating strong form despite it being her season debut.
\"I feel like I'm in pretty good shape right now,\" Fan shared with CGTN Sports Scene's Shen Xiang. \"Every time I compete, I'm increasingly aware that my opportunities to step onto the ice are becoming fewer, making me treasure every moment even more. As long as I get to compete, I'll give it my all.\"
Although Fan missed the first two stops of the World Tour, she remained engaged by closely following her teammates' performances. During this period, she dedicated herself to intensive training and fine-tuning her equipment, ensuring thorough preparations for upcoming competitions.
\"It was a pity I missed the first two stops of the World Tour,\" Fan added. \"During that time, I made some adjustments to my equipment and switched to a new pair of skates. My old pair had been with me for two Olympic cycles, so I spent time finding and adapting to what feels most comfortable for me.\"
Fan's return has undoubtedly strengthened the overall capabilities of the Chinese team. \"Fan Kexin is back, that of course makes our relay team stronger,\" said Gong Li. \"She brings a wealth of experience, which leads us to achieve even better results.\"
Italian Olympic champion Arianna Fontana also expressed her happiness about Fan's comeback. \"I'm really happy she's back and we always have fun skating against her,\" Fontana remarked. \"She's a really good skater, a real good fighter on the ice. So it's always fun to be on the ice with her. And it's always a fight for sure when she's on the ice skating against me.\"
Reference(s):
China's Fan makes season debut at Short Track World Tour Beijing stop
cgtn.com
