Chinese Olympic champions hope to defend titles at 2026 Winter Games

Gao Tingyu of China celebrates after winning the Beijing 2022 speed skating men's 500m event at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ga)

Chinese Olympic champions at Beijing 2022 have vowed to defend titles at 2026 Winter Games.

HARBIN, China, May 19 (Xinhua) -- China's athletes who were crowned at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games have vowed to defend their titles at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Both Winter Games speed skating 500m champion Gao Tingyu and short track speed skating 1,000m champion Ren Ziwei expressed their hopes to retain their titles in 2026 after a symposium in Heilongjiang, a traditional winter sports powerhouse whose athletes contributed four gold and two bronze medals to China at Beijing 2022.

"If I can stand on the track of the 2026 Winter Olympics, I still hope to win the championship," Gao said.

After Beijing 2022, the 24-year-old speed skater participated in several social activities and will return to his hometown of Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, to accompany his family for a few days.

"I have some injuries right now, so I need to rest and then prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics," he said.

Ren Ziwei (front) of China competes during the Beijing 2022 men's 500m heat of short track speed skating at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

After Beijing 2022, many Chinese athletes have set new goals.

"A new journey begins since the moment you Walk off the podium. The first two years of the next Winter Olympics cycle are mainly to ensure one's physical function, control injuries, continue to train hard, and compete for the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics," said the men's 1,000m champion.

Zhang Yuting, Ren Ziwei's teammate and the Beijing 2022 short track speed skating mixed team relay champion, returned to Harbin not long ago and resumed training.

Fan Kexin (top) and Zhang Yuting of China compete during the Beijing 2022 women's 3,000m relay semifinal of short track speed skating at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Under her influence, Zhang's younger sister is also undergoing short track speed skating training and is chasing her dream on the ice rink with her elder sibling.

In addition to training, many Chinese Winter Olympic champions have also begun to take on more social responsibilities.

"Winter sports are becoming more and more popular in China. Heilongjiang Province has a long winter sports tradition. I will definitely work hard to promote them," Gao said.

After Beijing 2022, Qu Chunyu, the short track speed skating mixed team relay champion, had many interviews.

"I think this is another form of promoting ice and snow sports, so that more people will like them. I will continue to train hard and strive for a breakthrough at the 2026 Winter Olympics," Qu said.

After returning to his hometown of Harbin, Ren also volunteered. "If I have enough time, I also want to teach children skating, this is my responsibility, and I will continue to contribute to the sport after I retire," Ren said.

Fan Kexin, who won China's first gold medal at Beijing 2022 with her teammates, grew up in Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province.

Yang Yang, China's first Winter Olympic champion, and Wang Meng, a famous short track speed skater, also come from Qitaihe.

"I hope to inspire the short track speed skaters in Qitaihe, even after I retire," Fan said.