Chinese skaters Gong Li (first from left) and Sun Long (third from right) compete in the short track speed skating mixed team relay final at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on February 10, 2026. Photo: Chen Tao/GT

The Chinese short track mixed relay team finished their first competition day at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a fourth-place finish in the final, just a place short from standing on the podium.

The Chinese team, the defending champions from the Beijing 2022 Olympics, was leading in the final but mistakes from skaters Zhang Chutong and Sun Long denied the team's leading position, as they clocked the ­2,000-meter final in 2:39.601 at the short track competition venue Forum di Milano. 

Earlier that day, the Chinese team, featuring athletes Gong Li, Zhang, Lin Xiaojun, Liu Shaoang, Sun and Wang Xinran, finished second in their quarterfinal event with a time of 2:39.193 before improving to 2:38.375 in the semifinals. 

The Chinese team finished first at the 2024 world championships and second in the 2023 edition. Currently, the Chinese team is fourth placed in the World Tour rankings.

Following China's unexpected fourth-place finish in the mixed team relay finals, Ren Ziwei, who was among the squad who won a gold medal in the mixed relay at Beijing 2022, offered a candid assessment of the performance, emphasizing resilience amid the disappointment.

"It's normal, this is not a huge mistake," Ren said. "Although we lost the competition because of two errors, this is just the beginning. The team members have already given their all, and there are still eight events ahead, which means eight opportunities to go for gold."

The Chinese team yielded maximum team sizes in short track with five men and five women for the Olympics. 

Earlier in the day, the women's 500m heats saw all three Chinese skaters qualify for the quarterfinals, which are scheduled for Thursday. 

Wang Xinran, Zhang Chutong and Fan Kexin each advanced successfully, showcasing the depth of China's women's squad. 

Veteran athlete Fan shared emotional reflections on her over two-decade career following her successful qualification in the women's 500m preliminaries.

"Over these more than 20 years, short track has given me everything," Fan said in a post-race interview. "What I'm quite proud of is that I've always given my all to this sport and to the team. You can see my hair has turned white. I've endured to the very end." 

Fan disclosed that her molar had cracked just two days before heading to Milan. 

"I've really given it all. Now there's a shift in my role: Before, I was the challenger. In the middle, the guardian. In the future, I might enter academia, perhaps as a mentor passing on my legacy. I think young girls should keep charging forward. Short track speed skating will only get better and better," she said.

In the men's 1,000m heats, China's trio also progressed to the quarterfinals on Thursday. 

Sun Long posted a strong 1:25.339 to finish second in his heat. Liu Shaoang topped his heat with 1:26.814, while Lin Xiaojun advanced in third place with 1:26.314. 

This sets up potential medal opportunities for the experienced lineup, including Liu, who has the chance to make history as the first male short track skater to win three straight Olympic golds.