The National Freestyle Skiing Aerials Championship and the 14th National Winter Games Qualification Competition were recently held in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Wang Renda, a 20-year-old from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, won one gold and one silver, giving him his first national championship. He also qualified for the final of the 14th National Winter Games.
More than 50 athletes from 10 regions across China competed in the championship, with four gold medals between men's and women's individual and pair aerials events up for grabs. The top 16 athletes in each event also qualified for the final of the freestyle skiing aerials event at this year's National Winter Games, to be held in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Wang performed well, finishing as the men's pair champion and the men's individual runner-up.
Born in April 2004, Wang started training in gymnastics at the age of four. In 2014, he joined the Zhejiang provincial team. Since its successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics, China began the process of identifying ice and snow talents across borders and disciplines on a large scale. Wang became one of the first athletes from Zhejiang province to cross over from summer to winter events switching to skiing and officially joining the national team in 2018.
Having secured his first national championship, Wang hopes to hone his skills and, one day, and stand on the medal podium at the World Cup and Olympics.
For now, however, his focus is on the upcoming National Winter Games . He cherishes this first-time opportunity and is training feverishly.
The 14th National Winter Games will be held in the Inner Mongolia from Feb 17 to 27, with more than 3,700 athletes participating.
Wang Renda, a 20-year-old skier from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/wzrb.com.cn]
