At the final stop of Olympic qualifiers in the Netherlands on Thursday, November 27, 2025, China’s short track speed skaters delivered a double dose of excitement by securing spots in two semifinals.
In the women’s 3,000-meter relay, the quartet—Gong Li, Wang Xinran, Zhang Chutong and veteran Fan Kexin— began in third place. Early on, Fan charged forward to lift her team into second. With 11 laps remaining, Fan seized the inside lane to take the lead, and Wang expertly dodged a late collision between the USA and the Netherlands to keep China at the front. Though the Dutch squad edged past on the penultimate lap, China crossed the line second in their group with a time of 4:11.306.
The drama continued in the 2,000-meter mixed team relay. Sun Long and Lin Xiaojun joined Wang and Fan to form a balanced mixed squad. From start to finish, China and Italy matched strides, sprinting side by side until a photo finish was needed. With a razor-thin margin—just 0.001 second—Italy took first, clocking 2:41.530, while China’s 2:41.531 secured their own berth in the semifinals.
With these performances, Team China now eyes the final pushes in both events, aiming to convert semifinal appearances into Olympic qualification. Fans around the world will be watching to see if this momentum can carry them onto the podium.
Reference(s):
China make two semifinals at Short Track Speed Skating World Tour
cgtn.com
