From the individual leadership of Han Xiaopeng and Li Nina to today’s shining stars across veteran, mid-career, and young athletes, China’s freestyle skiing aerials has, through one "world championship" after another, nurtured a large number of world-class athletes, significantly enhancing the sport’s overall competitiveness and stepping into a new era of "team competition." Competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics is not the ultimate goal; the scientific development of this strength sport heralds the future of China’s competitive skiing.
When it comes to freestyle skiing aerials, many still remember Han Xiaopeng, the "dark horse prince" who won gold at the Turin Winter Olympics, and many still fondly recall Li Nina, the stunning champion who amazed the world. Han Xiaopeng achieved China’s first-ever gold medal in a men’s event in Winter Olympics history, while Li Nina was the first to win the World Cup Finals, the World Championships, and top the world rankings...
Bathed in glory, Han Xiaopeng and Li Nina undeniably became the leading figures of China’s freestyle skiing aerials. At the 2007 World Championships, Han and Li both claimed gold, showcasing their dominance; at the 2009 Worlds, Li Nina once again took the title, leading her teammate Xu Mengtao to silver and Cheng Shuang to fifth place...
At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Han Xiaopeng missed the finals and Li Nina lost the gold. These two leading figures gradually faded from the scene. However, a large number of outstanding athletes—Cheng Shuang, Xu Mengtao on the women’s team, and Qi Guangpu, Jia Zongyang on the men’s team—accelerated their growth through various competitions and have now become the backbone of China’s freestyle skiing aerials.
In 2008, at the 11th National Winter Games, the Changchun team swept all six gold medals, with Cheng Shuang alone taking three. In the freestyle skiing aerials optional events at those Games, Xu Mengtao delivered a flawless performance of an ultra-difficult move to win her first Winter Games gold, which was also her first national championship gold.
Now, some young athletes are also beginning to emerge. At this edition of the Winter Games, rookie Zhou Hang won the men’s compulsory freestyle skiing aerials event; three post-90s athletes—Kong Fanyu, Xu Sicun, and Shen Xiaoxue—helped the Qiqihar team claim the women’s team title in freestyle skiing aerials... A new generation of talent in China’s freestyle skiing aerials is on the rise.
Reporters at this Winter Games observed that the top athletes’ performances are very close, with outcomes often depending on momentary execution. In the women’s compulsory event on the 7th, Cheng Shuang won gold with 170.320 points, while runner-up Dai Shuangfei was just 0.66 points behind. In the men’s optional event on the 10th, Liu Zhongqing narrowly beat top contender Qi Guangpu by just 0.262 points.
After watching the Winter Games, Han Xiaopeng expressed disbelief at everyone’s rapid progress. "The women’s team has always been strong, and now the men’s team also has several top-tier athletes, forming a great age progression. The overall strength of this team is very strong," he said. "Today’s Chinese team has built a great team atmosphere—you’re not fighting alone. Everyone has the solid support of teammates, bolstering each other’s belief."
"The formation of an excellent competitive team is no accident," said Ji Dong, coach of the national freestyle skiing team. After the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the national team stuck to the strategy of building a talent pipeline, bringing in a large number of young athletes. For example, Zhou Hang on the men’s side is closing the gap with core athletes like Qi Guangpu and Jia Zongyang. On the women’s side, Xu Sicun, Kong Fanyu, and others—though all post-90s—have been tackling triple-twist difficulty moves since the summer of 2011 and are approaching world-class levels.
With the optimization and adjustment of the team structure, China’s overall strength continues to rise. In the women’s individual event at the 2010/2011 Freestyle Skiing World Cup Jilin stop, the top seven spots were taken by Xu Mengtao, Cheng Shuang, Xu Sicun, Dai Shuangfei, Zhao Shanshan, Zhang Xin, and Kong Fanyu. Though Li Nina—the spiritual leader—is no longer there, the Chinese women’s team stands atop the world’s competitive snow scene as an even more formidable "army."
"We’ve found a shortcut in talent selection," said Yan Xiaojuan, head of the skiing department at the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China. Freestyle skiing aerials requires athletes to both ski and master technical maneuvers. Most athletes are selected from gymnastics or trampoline teams, taught to ski over a winter, then transitioned into aerials.
"Practice has proven this selection method works very well. Athletes like Xu Mengtao and Qi Guangpu came from gymnastics or trampoline backgrounds and now perform exceptionally well," Yan said. "For the Sochi Winter Olympics two years from now, China’s goal is to stand on the highest podium—that’s the shared belief of every athlete and coach."
China’s freestyle skiing aerials has now entered a new era of "team competition." A sound talent development system and tiered team structure continuously bring forth new stars. Chasing dreams in Sochi isn’t their final goal. As a strength event for China in snow sports, freestyle skiing aerials will be passed down through generations, propelling Chinese winter athletes to fly higher and farther on the world stage.
