Hungarian short track Olympic champions follow Chinese coach to train in China

BUDAPEST, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang, Hungarian Olympic champions in short-track speed skating, are preparing for the next season in China, the two athletes announced on Monday.

The Liu brothers made the announcement on their Instagram accounts, also adding that Zhang Jing (Lina) is their coach.

Speaking of 15 years of commitment, the Liu brothers said that they would continue to work together: "Lina has been on our side in our sport career as much as in our everyday life, therefore we feel towards her the biggest love and unconditional trust. We would like to keep up the work and continue our journey together."

Zhang arrived in Hungary in the summer of 2012 and became the national team's professional advisor. Following the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, she worked as the head coach.

Zhang played an outstanding role in the historic success of Hungary's skating sport, guiding her skaters to win Hungary's first Winter Olympic gold medal and the first individual gold medal in the discipline.

In recognition of her outstanding achievements, she was awarded the Coach of the Year Award at the Athlete of the Year Gala in Hungary in 2019.

After the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, she received the Officer's Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civilian category), and following the Beijing Olympics she was awarded with the Hungarian Order of Merit, Middle Cross.

In July, Zhang, who led the Hungarian short track speed skating team to historic success, said that she was leaving Hungary after 10 years to go back to China.

The Hungarian National Skating Federation reacted to the news on its Facebook page on Monday: "The Hungarian short track speed skating team are mostly under way in preparation for the new season and the next Olympic cycle. Part of the team is preparing in Hungary, Liu Shaoang and Liu Shaolin Sandor will travel to China for a training camp with the coach of the Hungarian association, where they will start this year's preparations with the Chinese national team and its coach, Zhang Jing Lina."