Cidanyuzhen Photo: Courtesy of Harbin 2025 organizers
Cidanyuzhen, an athlete from Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, claimed another gold in the first-ever mixed relay event in ski mountaineering at the Asian Winter Games on Wednesday with her teammate Buluer from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which was followed by her first gold medal in the women's final of the ski mountaineering competition on Sunday. The athlete made history by winning the first-ever gold medal for this event in the Asian Winter Games.
After completing Wednesday's competition, Cidanyuzhen, 19, started to reflect on her shortages during the race with the aim of heading to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy.
"The ski mountaineering event has been developing in recent years. I will improve every detail and continue to enhance myself," the Chinese athlete told the Global Times on Thursday.
Besides Cidanyuzhen's medals, other young athletes from Xizang won one gold and one bronze medal at the Asian Winter Games, making historical breakthroughs.
In China's podium sweep in the ski mountaineering mixed relay, Suolangquzhen secured a bronze medal with her teammate Liu Jianbin.
Cirenzhandui, who captured gold in the cross-country skiing men's 4x7.5km relay match on Wednesday, told the Global Times that although the Xizang athletes are young, they all cherish the opportunity to compete on the international stage and are focused on improving themselves.
Cirenzhandui became the first Xizang athlete to attend the Winter Olympic Games when he made his debut at the event in 2022.
The athlete noted that they frequently train in Nyingchi, Xizang, during the summer months.
Specifically, their regular training sessions in this scenic region have allowed them to gain valuable experience amid high-altitude conditions. Furthermore, during these training sessions, he noticed improvements in winter sports training conditions throughout the autonomous region in recent years.
Behind this breakthrough is China's strategy to develop winter sports, targeted aid from other regions to Xizang, as well as the regional sports authorities' work to support and nurture young talent.
Xizang's unique geography provides an ideal environment for winter sports training. At the same time, these snowfields are not just for competitors. They also offer opportunities for recreational skiers and outdoor enthusiasts to experience the beauty of Xizang winter landscapes, according to tibet.cn.
The report said that a wide variety of ice and snow activities have enriched local people's winter lives and improved their physical well-being.
These activities feature traditional ice-based fun like sleds, and wooden skates, along with freestyle skating competitions and team events such as ice tug-of-war and relay races. As these activities continue to develop, ice and snow sports facilities in Xizang are constantly improving, providing a better environment and higher quality services to the local community.
"The development of mass ice and snow sports and the industry cannot rely on only one element, but should be driven by the fusion of multiple comprehensive forces. With rich ice and snow resources and correct direction, including promoting high-level races, integrating cultural elements and fostering youth power, winter sports can be developed further in the region," Zhao Jing, a professor at Tianjin University of Sport, told the Global Times.
