Chongli, Hebei, 3 Feb (Xinhua) -- The Snow Sports of the Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off at the Genting Ski Park on 3 February. In the evening, the freestyle skiing snow skills competed in the first round of the men's and women's qualifying competitions, and China's Li Nan and Zhao Yang ranked 19th in women and 28th in men, respectively, and Zhao Yang also became the first Chinese male athlete to stand in the men's snow skills field of the Winter Olympics.
On February 3, China's Zhao Yang competed in the first round of the Beijing Winter Olympics Freestyle Skiing Men's Snow Skills Qualifier. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu
China started late in the snow skill project, and there is a gap between its overall strength and traditional powers such as Australia, the United States and Japan. Since hiring Toby Dawson, a freestyle skiing men's snow skill medalist at the Turin Winter Olympics in 2019, as head coach, the Chinese team has made great strides in the event. At the end of last year, in the FIS Freestyle Skiing Snow Skills World Cup, Zhao Yang and Li Nan played well and successfully qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
On February 3, China's Li Nan competed in the first round of the Beijing Winter Olympics Freestyle Skiing Women's Snow Skills Qualifiers. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xue Yubin
At 18:00 on the same day, the first round of the women's qualifiers began, with a total of 30 athletes from 11 Winter Olympic teams participating. Depending on the format, the top 10 players will go straight to the finals that follow, while the rest will compete for the remaining 10 final spots in the second qualifying round. The players all made their debut to show themselves, with Australian star Jekala Anthony and defending champion France's Pelin Lafon in the top two with excellent gliding skills and aerial posture, with Li Nan in 19th place.
Canada's Mikael Kingsbury competes in the first round of the Men's Snow Skiing Skiing Qualifiers at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 3. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Huhu
In the first round of the men's qualifying round that followed, the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic champion and Canada's Mikael Kingsbury was superior and remained at the top of the list despite his reserved moves. China's Zhao Yang completed his actions completely, and finally ranked 28th out of 30 contestants. Like Li Nan, he will participate in the second round of the qualifiers and strive for a place in the final.
After the game, Zhao Yang said that as the first male athlete in China to stand on the field of the Winter Olympic Games in this project, he felt lucky. "I think I still played most of my level today, but there is still a big gap between my overall ability and foreign first-class athletes." For the second round of the competition, Zhao Yang said with a smile: "Next I will let go of the slide and show all my levels." ”
Editors: Wang Hengzhi, Yu Sihui, Cao Yibo, Zhang Yumeng (Intern)