The Chinese short track speed skating team competes in the men's 5,000 meters relay during the ISU Short Track World Tour 3 at the Halla Olivia on November 23, 2025 in Gdansk, Poland. Photo: VCG

The Chinese short track speed skating team closed out the third stop of the ISU World Tour with only two silver medals, a result that has raised fresh concerns about China's readiness ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

In the men's 5,000 meters relay, the Chinese team composed of Sun Long, Liu Shao'ang, Liu Shaolin, and Lin Xiaojun finished in second place. Lin also took silver in the men's 500 meters with a time of 41.120 seconds.

The men's relay race was dramatic. As the race neared its conclusion, an Italian skater and a Dutch competitor collided, forcing China's Lin off the track. 

Later, the Dutch team was penalized for a foul, but China was unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The South Korean team won in 7:07.098, followed by the Chinese team's 7:14.567.

The third stop's results deepen a worrying pattern. Through the first two stages of the World Tour, China had managed only modest returns of two silver and three bronze medals. 

The female Chinese skaters have yet to make it onto the podium after three World Tour events. This absence marks one of the rare medal droughts for China's women's squad in recent seasons.

Short track speed skating has long been a cornerstone of China's Winter Olympics success. Chinese skaters have won 12 gold medals across seven Winter Olympics. 

In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics alone, China captured two gold, one silver, and one bronze in short track.

However, the contrast between China's past dominance and its current form is becoming increasingly stark. 

Despite its deep legacy in short track, the national team has struggled to translate experience into top-tier performances this season.

"The current World Tour performances suggest the Chinese team may not be operating at its traditional peak," Zhang Bin, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Monday. 

"Even though they are still on the podium, the absence of golds raises alarm bells about China's capacity to compete at the highest level next year,"the commentator said.

Across three out of four World Tour events this season, China's tally of gold medals remains dangerously low, especially given that this season also doubles as an Olympic qualification window.

William Dandjinou of Canada has become the most decorated skater so far at the World Tour series, as he has bagged a total of six gold medals individually. His dominance further highlights the intense competition China will face in the Olympic lead-up.

According to the rules by the International Skating Union, each country's top three World Tour results count toward Olympic quotas, with a maximum of five men and five women per nation allowed at full capacity. 

The fourth World Tour stop, which is set to take place in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, from Thursday to Sunday this week, represents the team's last realistic shot to secure or improve its Olympic qualification standings.

"China's short track coaches will need to refine the team's tactics and ideally produce satisfactory races in the Netherlands," Zhang said. "Any failure to do so could not only jeopardize a full Olympic qualification, but also expose deeper strategic or developmental gaps with world elites."