China's short-track speed skating team endured a disappointing night at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, with two skaters crashing out of the men's 1500m Final A due to a collision with a British competitor. Sun Long sustained an injury, but teammate Liu Shaoang voiced the team's resolve to persevere. Despite the setbacks, the squad remains focused on future events.
On Saturday, at the Milano Ice Skating Arena during the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, China's short-track speed skating team faced a dramatic setback in the men's 1500m Final A. Despite qualifying two skaters, Sun Long and Liu Shaoang both crashed midway through the 13-and-a-half-lap race following an unexpected collision with British skater Niall Treacy, who was penalized for illegal contact. The incident occurred just as the Chinese duo was set to overtake with five laps remaining in the crowded nine-skater final.
Sun Long appeared injured in the crash, leaving the rink with his right knee bandaged and blood seeping through the gauze. Earlier, in the quarterfinals of the same event, China's third skater Lin Xiaojun fell without apparent contact, disappointing supporters at the southern Milan venue.
Jens van't Wout of the Netherlands won gold in 2 minutes and 12.219 seconds, securing his second short-track gold in Milan after his 1,000m victory on Thursday. Hwang Daeheon of South Korea took silver in 2:12.304, with Latvia's Roberts Kruzbergs earning bronze in 2:12.376.
Despite the disappointment, Liu Shaoang remained composed. "It was a regret tonight that we got blocked and then taken down when we were gaining on fast," he said. "I could've come up to the third or second place, and launch a final attack from there. It was really hard to catch up from behind in a nine-skater final. It was physically demanding."
Liu noted that Sun is expected to compete in the men's 5,000m relay. "I believe he won't give up, none of us would although we are having a hard time," said Liu, who won Olympic golds representing Hungary in the 2018 Pyeongchang 5,000m relay and 2022 Beijing 500m before switching nationality to China in 2023. "We will pull it through anyway, even without luck on our side. We will never back down in the face of challenges, and we will do it together as a team."
Earlier that day, China's women's 3,000m relay team of Gong Li, Zhang Chutong, Yang Jingru, and Wang Xinran finished first in Final B, ranking fifth overall.
The Chinese team chose to trust the process and continue pushing for breakthroughs at the Games.
