On February 20, the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will enter its third-to-last competition day, offering seven gold medals across major events such as freestyle skiing, biathlon, speed skating, and short track speed skating. The Chinese delegation, which has secured medals in the past two competition days, will compete in the men’s aerials event in freestyle skiing, aiming for their fourth gold medal of these Olympics.
The men’s aerials event has faced several delays, moving from February 17 to February 19 and then again to February 20, highlighting the challenges organizers have encountered. The Chinese “Snow Dream Team” is fielding four athletes in this competition: Sun Jiaxu, Li Tianma, and Wang Xindi, all of whom have previously secured gold medals in the season’s World Cup events. Defending champion Qi Guangpu has also earned a silver medal on the World Cup circuit this season. With these four skilled competitors, China is poised for a strong push for another medal.
In addition to the men’s aerials, this competition day will also feature the women’s mogul and the men’s halfpipe events, further contributing to the excitement.
As the short track speed skating competitions draw to a close, hopes for China to secure a medal remain slim. The men’s 5000-meter relay and women’s 1500-meter finals will determine the final medals. The Chinese team has officially missed the men’s 5000-meter relay A final, placing their last hopes on the women’s 1500-meter event with athletes Zhang Chutong, Gong Li, and Yang Jingru competing. However, the gap between the Chinese team and their world-class rivals presents a significant challenge, making a podium appearance seem difficult. This puts the prospect of the Chinese short track speed skating team finishing the Olympics without a medal into stark focus, with the hope that a surprising turnaround may occur.
The schedule for the medal events includes:
– 20:10 – Women’s mogul
– 20:30 – Men’s aerials
– 21:15 – Men’s 15 km mass start in biathlon
– 23:30 – Women’s 1500 meters in speed skating
– 02:30 – Men’s halfpipe in freestyle skiing
– 04:30 – Men’s 5000-meter relay final A
– 05:07 – Women’s 1500 meters final A
As the competition unfolds, fans and athletes alike are watching closely, hoping for thrilling performances and unexpected victories.