Tag Archives: Fan Kexin
Experience is key for Team China in Pyeongchang
Here is a summary of this week’s China Sports column for SupChina, which was first published here.
Continue reading Experience is key for Team China in Pyeongchang
China’s Olympic report card
The Chinese delegation came away from Sochi with 3 gold medals, 4 silvers and 2 bronze, good for 12th in the medals table. China Sports Insider reviews the highs and lows…
Best performance
Zhang Hong, gold, 1,000 m speed skating. Starting in the 7th of 18 heats (when the top ranked skaters typically go at the end), Zhang started slowly but then turned on the burners. Her time ripped up the track record and no one even came close – her winning margin was bigger than the previous four finals combined. Best of all, it was China’s first ever long track Olympic title.
Worst performance
Two silvers and a bronze on night of drama
It’s late so I’ll make this quick…
China’s short track team delivered a solid performance on Friday night, winning medals in each of the final three short track races:
Could this be China’s best day of the Olympics?
Day 13 was a quiet one for China in Sochi with figure skaters Li Zijun and Zhang Kexin finishing 14th and 15th respectively in the ladies solo competition, but Day 14 could be big one…
Continue reading Could this be China’s best day of the Olympics?
The Outsliders: China’s curlers prepare to take on Canada
Day 11 review
Aside from the drama of the women’s 3,000 m relay – which ended China’s Olympic short track streak in the women’s events at six – there were a couple of heats: 500 m winner Li Jianrou and Fan Kexin safely made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s 1,000 m, though Liu Qiuhong was disqualified for impeding another skater; on the men’s side, Liang Wenhao, Han Tianyu and Wu Dajing all won their heats and progressed through to the quarterfinals, which start late on Saturday night.
Continue reading The Outsliders: China’s curlers prepare to take on Canada
Koreans get relay revenge as China is disqualified
[UPDATE: Did the Koreans do exactly the same as the Chinese but get away with it? Canada’s head coach says yes…]
Following the controversial women’s short track 3,000 m relay final four years ago in Vancouver in which the Korean team crossed the line first, but were disqualified after a Chinese protest – giving China the gold – the rematch took place yesterday and it certainly lived up to the hype. Here are the highlights: Continue reading Koreans get relay revenge as China is disqualified
China vs Korea Part 2: Bad blood revisited
Day 11 preview
Short track returns and the big one for China is the women’s 3,000 m relay final. China is the defending champion, but the Koreans will start as favorites having had the better form and quicker times in recent months. Continue reading China vs Korea Part 2: Bad blood revisited
China wins gold in Sochi!
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Fan Kexin was the anointed successor to China’s most decorated Winter Olympian Wang Meng, following Wang’s double ankle fracture in training last month. If Wang had been a certainty to win (at least in Chinese minds), then Fan was the next best thing, stepping into the breach as China’s short track production line all moved up one slot in the rankings.
It was all going according to plan: Fan posted the fastest time in the heats, then again in the quarterfinals. But it all went horribly wrong in the semifinals. Continue reading China wins gold in Sochi!
China’s Olympics: Day 5 review, Day 6 preview
Day 5 review
It wasn’t to be for China’s veteran figure skater duo Tong Jian and Pang Qing, who made their competitive swansong on Wednesday evening in the free program of the pairs competition. They started in 4th place after their short program, and that’s where they finished, despite a free program that was third best overall. Consolation prize for retiring? They now have time to get married. Russia finished 1-2, matching China’s finish from four years ago, and the Germans were third. China’s other pair – Cheng Peng and Zhang Hao – finished in 8th.
Continue reading China’s Olympics: Day 5 review, Day 6 preview