China's short track speed skating team on Thursday announced a 12-skater roster for the 2024-25 season International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Tour.

Olympic champions Liu Shaolin, Liu Shaoang, Lin Xiaojun, and 2024 World Championships 1,500m winner Sun Long will lead the men's team, while Wang Ye and Gong Li, who claimed mixed relay gold at the 2024 worlds, will headline the women's team.

Lin Xiaojun (L) of Team China competes during the mixed team relay final A at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2024 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, March 17, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

The team's complete list is: Liu Shaoang, Lin Xiaojun, Sun Long, Li Wenlong, Liu Shaolin, Zhu Yiding (men's team); Wang Ye, Gong Li, Zhang Chutong, Xu Aili, Zang Yize, Wang Xinran (women's team).

According to team manager Liu Chenyu, six skaters automatically qualified based on their performances at last season's World Championships and World Cup events, while the remaining spots were earned through domestic trials.

Notable skaters Fan Kexin and Ren Ziwei were absent from the roster. The manager explained that Fan, who rested a while after last year's World Championships, is temporarily ineligible for international competition after re-entering China's anti-doping program and will rejoin later in the season, while Ren still needs time to recover from injury.

The ISU World Tour will feature a condensed schedule this season, replacing the World Cup series. Athletes will compete in three individual events - 500m, 1,000m, and 1,500m leading to heightened competition. China's head coach Zhang Jing viewed the three consecutive tournaments as both a challenge and a valuable opportunity to prepare for future events, including the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Eyeing the races, Zhang said that China's key opponents will be a mix of familiar faces and young powers. She specifically mentioned athletes like Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands, Canada's William Dandjinou and South Korea's Kim Gil-li. "Whether it's old or new rivals, our focus is on ourselves. We will fight hard, play smart, and never give up," Zhang emphasized.

China’s team trained in south China's Guangxi before heading to the high-altitude regions of Livigno and Bormio in Italy, where they integrated high-altitude cycling - a common summer training method for European skaters - into their regime. The team also conducted on-ice joint training sessions with national teams from Italy, France and Australia.

Zhang explained that the cycling program aimed to help athletes enhance their endurance, particularly over longer distances, while also providing an opportunity for exchanges. "Our athletes were able to observe the training routines and lifestyle habits of top international athletes while also adapting to local conditions, climate and diet."

Athletes provided positive feedback about the training program. Sun noted: "Cycling has similarities with short track skating in terms of the up-and-down pedal motion. During summer training, we also participated in some local cycling races, and each time we pushed ourselves to the point of exhaustion. I feel satisfied with the physical fitness I've built up."

Lin echoed similar sentiments, noting that the training helped improve his fitness, especially as he aims to compete more effectively in longer distances like 1,500m. "In past competitions, I realized that as I've aged, maintaining endurance has become more challenging, but this summer's training has significantly boosted my stamina," Lin said.

The upcoming 2024-25 season is packed with international competitions. In addition to the six legs of the World Tour and the World Championships, the team will compete in the Four Continents Championships, the Winter Universiade, the Asian Winter Games and three legs of the Youth World Cup series. China's team manager Liu was confident with the country's talent pool, which allowed them to "navigate scheduling conflicts."

The team is set to depart for Montreal, Canada on Friday for the World Tour's first stop which runs from October 25 to 27, and then travel to Salt Lake City for a subsequent stop (from November 1 to 3) and the ISU Four Continents Championships (from November 8 to 9). 

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