The grand finale of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics unfolded dramatically at Verona Arena in Italy on Monday, marking a historic triumph for China. Competing on foreign soil, the Chinese delegation clinched 15 medals – five golds, four silvers, and six bronzes – shattering previous benchmarks and equaling their home-soil haul from the 2022 Beijing Games.
This stellar performance underscores China’s evolving dominance in winter sports. Officials highlighted four key achievements: diversification of medal-winning disciplines, boosted overall competitiveness, surging athlete talent, and the rise of young stars. Long dominated by ice events, China has now pivoted strongly toward snow sports, a trend that first emerged in Beijing and exploded in Milan.
In snow sports, China dominated with four golds, three silvers, and four bronzes. Su Yiming dazzled in snowboarding slopestyle, securing gold with gravity-defying tricks. Shu Mengtao soared to victory in women’s freestyle skiing aerials, while Wang Xindi claimed top honors in the men’s aerial event with a flawless performance. Kuailing pushed boundaries in women’s halfpipe, nabbing another gold.
Ice sports weren’t left behind. Ning Chongyan rewrote history in men’s 1,500m speed skating, clocking 1:41.98 to snag gold and obliterate the Olympic record – China’s lone ice gold but a monumental one.
As the Olympic flame extinguished and the flag passed to France for the next games, China’s Milan success signals a new era. Eyes now turn to the 2030 French Alps, where the dragon aims even higher.