China's cross-country national team made history at the 2025 Asian Winter Games, wrapping up the competition with an unprecedented five gold medals after winning both the men's 4x7.5km and women's 4x5km relays on Wednesday.

"We initially set a goal of taking just one gold before the Games, and this result has far exceeded our expectations," said Wang Yan, team manager of China, adding that the nation's support was invaluable to their progress.

Li Minglin (1st R) of China competes during the Cross-Country Skiing men's 4x7.5km relay match at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Yabuli, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Despite trailing Japan for much of the race, China's quartet of Li Minglin, Cirenzhandui, Bao Lin and Wang Qiang secured the men's 4x7.5km relay title in one hour, 12 minutes and 9.6 seconds. Veteran skier Wang staged a strong performance in his leg, overhauling the men's 10km free champion Haruki Yamashita of Japan.

"It's a collective honor. This is a truly wonderful moment," said Wang Qiang after the victory.

Wang previously won the men's sprint classic at Harbin 2025 and earned five golds at China's 14th National Winter Games in 2024. Serving as skier-coach for China's team, he has been a guiding force for the country's young skiers. Looking ahead to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Wang's leadership is inspiring the next generation to dream bigger.

In the women's event, Chinese skiers swept the Asiad podiums, winning all three sprint classic, 5km free and 4x5km relay events, increasing expectations for them to achieve more success at Milan-Cortina 2026.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China participated in all cross-country skiing events, with the women's team finishing 10th in the 4x5km relay, revealing a clear gap between China and the world's top teams. Since then, young skiers like Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Bayani Jialin have made significant improvements in both technique and mental resilience.

"I've competed in many international events this season, which helped me improve a lot," said Bayani. "Each competition exposes my weaknesses, and over time, I've become more composed on the track."

After the success of Harbin 2025, China's cross-country team will head to Norway to prepare for the World Championships, with hopes of securing more Olympic spots.

"I'm cautiously optimistic about the development of the sport in China," said Wang Qiang, who expects a great strides in the sport's development driven by both ambition and a strategic vision for the future.

"To make further achievement, we need more support and long-term planning, besides good preparations before big events," added the 31-year-old.

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