SPORT / WINTER SPORT
China wraps up ISU Short Track World Tour season with 9 Olympic quotas secured
The final stop of this season's ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Tour came to an end on Sunday night in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, with the Chinese team clinching the silver medal in both the men's 1,000 meters and men's 5,000-meter relay on the closing day. Team China finished the stop with two silvers and one bronze.
With the conclusion of the four-leg World Tour series, which also served as the qualification pathway for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics, China secured a total of one gold, six silvers, and four bronzes across the season. More importantly, the team locked in the full quota for all nine Olympic short track events in February, ensuring it can send five men and five women to compete at the 2026 Games.
On the first finals day in Dordrecht, Sun Long earned a hard-fought bronze in the men's 1,500 meters. Unfortunately, in Sunday's men's 1,000 meters, Sun fell in the repechage round and failed to advance. In the A-final held that evening, Liu Shaoang placed second behind rising South Korean skater Lim Jong-yeon, securing his second podium finish of the season in that distance.
The season's final race, the men's 5,000-meter relay A-final, saw Liu Shaoang, Lin Xiaojun, Liu Shaolin and Zhang Baihao join forces for China. With two laps remaining, Lin executed a sharp inside pass to move the team into second place. China ultimately finished 0.045 seconds behind the home team, the Netherlands, settling for silver. The Chinese men's relay squad claimed three silvers across the four World Tour stops.
The season overall brought mixed results. Aside from an opening-stop gold in the mixed relay, China's remaining six silvers and four bronzes all came from the men's team, with the relay unit accounting for three silvers and the remaining medals shared among Sun, Liu, and Lin. On the women's side, only one skater reached an A-final throughout the entire series, highlighting a challenging Olympic cycle for the team.
"In this environment, when no team holds absolute dominance, the smallest shifts in execution can determine the outcome," sports commentator Luo Le told the Global Times on Monday. "Lin still has remarkable speed, last year's three world titles in Rotterdam proved that, but any instability linked to injuries could influence results. Races can change in a heartbeat."
Luo added that Sun has made "significant strides" during this Olympic cycle, but said the strengthening of European teams, including the Netherlands, suggests that major-event performance should be approached with a balanced mindset.
Although China met its target of securing full Olympic berths for Milan, the outcomes of the four World Tour stops have prompted tempered expectations among fans, particularly regarding the performance of several naturalized athletes and the overall medal prospects just three months ahead of the Winter Games.
Luo noted that the Chinese men's team "still holds medal-winning potential across the board," but pointed to a complex competitive landscape heading into the Olympics.
"The competition in the men's 500 meters, 1,000 meters and the relay has entered an intensely contested stage," Luo said. He emphasized that short track, by its nature, is a sport defined by unpredictability.
Compared with the men's lineup, experts view the women's team as facing steeper challenges. After an Olympic cycle in which power-based athletes from the Netherlands and Canada have been dominant, coupled with surges from the United States and Belgium, securing full Olympic quotas was seen as an important achievement in itself.
"The women's squad is still in a process of maturing and developing," Luo said. "For Milan, though veteran Fan Kexin may appear at the court, and Zhang Chutong will take on a leading role, we also hope young athletes such as Yang Jingru, who has shown exceptional promise at the World Junior Championships, can deliver strong performances."
With the conclusion of the four-leg World Tour series, which also served as the qualification pathway for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics, China secured a total of one gold, six silvers, and four bronzes across the season. More importantly, the team locked in the full quota for all nine Olympic short track events in February, ensuring it can send five men and five women to compete at the 2026 Games.
On the first finals day in Dordrecht, Sun Long earned a hard-fought bronze in the men's 1,500 meters. Unfortunately, in Sunday's men's 1,000 meters, Sun fell in the repechage round and failed to advance. In the A-final held that evening, Liu Shaoang placed second behind rising South Korean skater Lim Jong-yeon, securing his second podium finish of the season in that distance.
Shaoang Liu of China competes on the Men s 1000m Semi-Final on Day 4 of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Dordrecht, Netherlands, on November 30, 2025. Photo: VCG
The season's final race, the men's 5,000-meter relay A-final, saw Liu Shaoang, Lin Xiaojun, Liu Shaolin and Zhang Baihao join forces for China. With two laps remaining, Lin executed a sharp inside pass to move the team into second place. China ultimately finished 0.045 seconds behind the home team, the Netherlands, settling for silver. The Chinese men's relay squad claimed three silvers across the four World Tour stops.
The season overall brought mixed results. Aside from an opening-stop gold in the mixed relay, China's remaining six silvers and four bronzes all came from the men's team, with the relay unit accounting for three silvers and the remaining medals shared among Sun, Liu, and Lin. On the women's side, only one skater reached an A-final throughout the entire series, highlighting a challenging Olympic cycle for the team.
"In this environment, when no team holds absolute dominance, the smallest shifts in execution can determine the outcome," sports commentator Luo Le told the Global Times on Monday. "Lin still has remarkable speed, last year's three world titles in Rotterdam proved that, but any instability linked to injuries could influence results. Races can change in a heartbeat."
Luo added that Sun has made "significant strides" during this Olympic cycle, but said the strengthening of European teams, including the Netherlands, suggests that major-event performance should be approached with a balanced mindset.
Although China met its target of securing full Olympic berths for Milan, the outcomes of the four World Tour stops have prompted tempered expectations among fans, particularly regarding the performance of several naturalized athletes and the overall medal prospects just three months ahead of the Winter Games.
Luo noted that the Chinese men's team "still holds medal-winning potential across the board," but pointed to a complex competitive landscape heading into the Olympics.
"The competition in the men's 500 meters, 1,000 meters and the relay has entered an intensely contested stage," Luo said. He emphasized that short track, by its nature, is a sport defined by unpredictability.
Compared with the men's lineup, experts view the women's team as facing steeper challenges. After an Olympic cycle in which power-based athletes from the Netherlands and Canada have been dominant, coupled with surges from the United States and Belgium, securing full Olympic quotas was seen as an important achievement in itself.
"The women's squad is still in a process of maturing and developing," Luo said. "For Milan, though veteran Fan Kexin may appear at the court, and Zhang Chutong will take on a leading role, we also hope young athletes such as Yang Jingru, who has shown exceptional promise at the World Junior Championships, can deliver strong performances."
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