Cai Xuetong photo:VCG

 

Qiu Leng photo:VCG

 

Liu Jiayu photo:VCG

 
Three Chinese athletes have successfully advanced to the final of the women's halfpipe contest in snowboarding at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after a fierce competition with world elites on Wednesday at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou.

Athletes have two runs to get the maximum points possible in the qualifier. Top 12 of the 22 competitors in the qualifier have secured the ticket to the final on Thursday. Chinese snowboarders Cai Xuetong, Liu Jiayu and Qiu Leng ranked third, seventh and 12th respectively in the qualification game, while American defending gold medalist in halfpipe Chloe Kim ranked the first with a run that scored 87.75 points. 

Cai, the two-time world champion snowboarder, booked a place in the final with 83.25 points - the third highest in the qualifier. 

Liu only got 15.25 points in the first run due to a mistake. But the silver medalist in women's snowboard halfpipe at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games recovered in her second run and scored 72.25, ranking at a safe place of the 7th.

Qiu played normal runs and got scores of 63.50 and 66.25 in the qualifier, which is enough to secure the last seat of the final. 
 
It is a pity that Wu Shaotong, 23, made mistakes in both runs in the qualifier. She was widely considered to be capable of achieving the top eight in her first Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Despite coming in last to qualify for the finals, Qiu became the first Sichuan athlete to enter the final of the Winter Olympic Games, which brought people in the southwestern province much rejoice.

Duan Yuchuan, director of Sichuan provincial winter games authority, told local media that Qiu has made the history of Sichuan winter sports. "Her performance is very steady… she has made a huge progress." 

A Beijing-based sports commentator told the Global Times on Wednesday that women's halfpipe is China's strong event, with the strength to win a podium or even a gold medal. 

China and Japan each had three competitors who advanced to the final, the most of all countries, which experts said shows China's "team advantage" in this match.