Chinese national short track speed skating team Photo: VCG

The Chinese national short track speed skating team has already set their sights on the 2026 Winter Olympics as they get ready to take the stage at the 2024-25 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Tour opener in Montreal, Canada, from Friday to Sunday.

The Chinese team, skating under the new nickname Chinese Loong, will feature male skaters Liu Shaoang, Lin Xiaojun, Sun Long, Li Wenlong, Liu Shaolin, and Zhu Yiding, while the women's team consists of Wang Ye, Gong Li, Zhang Chutong, Xu Aili, Zang Yize, and Wang Xinran.

Head coach Zhang Jing expressed cautious optimism before the event, highlighting the need for the team to quickly adapt to the new format and familiarize themselves with their rivals. 

Among the main individual rivalries to China are the Netherlands' Xandra Velzeboer, Canada's William Dandjinou and South Korea's rising star Kim Gil-li. 

The Chinese team's key challengers include South Korea, the Netherlands, Canada, and a rising US team, which boasts standout performances from Kristen Santos-Griswold, who claimed 17 World Cup medals last season. 

The schedule for the national short track team is packed this season, with six World Tour stops, the World Championships, Four Continents Championships as well as the Asian Winter Games at home in Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Regarding concerns over a potential scheduling conflict between certain World Tour events and the Asian Winter Games, team leader Liu Chenyu confirmed that the team will field different squads for these events and will not withdraw from any competition. 

"Our ultimate goal is the Milan Winter Olympics. Every cycle of training and the intensity is designed with that in mind. A short-term dip in form is not a concern," Liu said. 

The re-branded World Tour, previously known as the World Cup events, will feature a more ­tight-paced competition schedule, according to Liu.

"This season, our focus is on adjusting, adapting to international rules, and improving overall in preparation for the Olympics."

With this being the last full season before the Milan Winter Olympics, the skaters expressed their desire to adjust to the new rules and race rhythm while aiming to reach peak performance. 

"I really want to make a breakthrough and keep up with top athletes in the long-distance races. I made some progress last year, and I want to keep closing that gap," said female skater Gong. 

"Aside from improving technical skills, I hope to compete against high-level athletes to build a stronger mind-set."

China's Winter Olympics champions Fan Kexin and Ren Ziwei will skip the competition in Montreal. 

Fan took a brief break for physical recovery after 2023's World Championships. She will be eligible to return in the third race, while Ren is still recovering from an injury sustained during training.