After navigating early pressure, near misses and injury concerns within the delegation, China has delivered a decisive response at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, claiming three gold medals across snow and ice in two days.
[See more: Sun Long rebounds from relay setback to win Olympic 1,000m silver]
The turnaround saw snowboarder Su Yiming win slopestyle gold on his 22nd birthday, veteran Xu Mengtao defend her aerials title to make Olympic history, and speed skater Ning Zhongyan set a new Olympic record in the men’s 1,500m, lifting China’s medal momentum midway through the Games.
Su Yiming answers the pressure
Snowboard star Su Yiming secured China’s first gold of the Games by winning the men’s slopestyle final with 82.41 points on 18 February – his 22nd birthday.
Having already taken bronze in big air earlier in the week, the Beijing 2022 champion produced a near-flawless run when it mattered most.
[See more: Su Yiming claims China’s first medal in Olympic big air]
“People kept wishing me ‘happy birthday,’ but I didn’t want to remind myself it was my birthday. I just wanted to focus on every feature, from the first rail to the last jump,” Su said after the victory.
The win ended several days of frustration for the Chinese team, which had narrowly missed gold in multiple events earlier in the Games.
Xu Mengtao makes history again
Shortly after Su’s triumph, five-time Olympian Xu Mengtao defended her women’s freestyle skiing aerials title with 112.90 points in the super final, becoming the first freestyle skier to win consecutive Olympic aerials gold medals.
“I did a very good jump, a full-full-full, with good air, good form, good landing, so it was amazing,” Xu said.
[See more: ‘Amazing.’ IOC president tries Shenzhen-made AI glasses at Milano 2026 Winter Olympics]
At 35, Xu was the oldest athlete in the final. Teammate Shao Qi added bronze, marking a significant double podium for China in the event.
Ning Zhongyan sets Olympic record on ice
China’s surge continued on the ice as Ning Zhongyan claimed gold in the men’s 1,500m speed skating yesterday in an Olympic record time of 1:41.98.
The victory marked China’s first-ever Olympic gold in the distance and its first ice-sport gold of the Milano-Cortina Games. Ning had previously finished seventh at Beijing 2022.
“After the Beijing Winter Olympics, the level in speed skating just kept getting higher and higher. It felt like there was a mountain in front of me, and no matter what I did, I just could not get past it,” Ning said. “But I never stopped believing in myself.”
[See more: Ning Zhongyan clinches bronze in men’s 1,000m skating at 2026 Winter Olympics]
Earlier in the week, China’s men’s team pursuit squad also secured the country’s first Olympic medal in the event with bronze.
With the three-gold surge, China’s medal tally rose to three golds, three silvers and four bronzes by the end of Day 13, marking a decisive turnaround in the second half of the Games.
