Gangneung, Korea, January 21, 2024: China’s up-and-coming short track speed skaters raced to a golden double on the second day of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 at Gangneung Ice Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Li Jinzi, 16, finished first in the women’s 1000 metres, and Zhang Xinzhe, also 16, topped the podium in the men’s 1000 metres.
For the second day in a row, China finished 1-2 in the women’s race, with Yang Jingru taking the silver medal. The previous day, in the women’s 1500 metres, Yang had won gold and Li silver.
China thought they had completed a gold-silver double in the men’s 1000 metres, only for Zhang Bohao to be penalized long after the final had finished, depriving China of a 1-2 finish in both finals of the day.
Li won the women’s race in 1:40.803, followed by Yang in 1:40.996. Kazakhstan’s Polina Omelchuk took the bronze with a time of 1:41.600 – an early birthday gift before she turns 17 on Monday.
Gold medal-winner Li said: “I got the silver medal yesterday, so I was really holding my breath to win gold this time. Despite the rematch with my teammate today, I did not feel tired at all and gave it my best. We were able to work so well together.”
The women’s final had to be restarted when two of the racers slid out; the Netherlands’ Angel Daleman was penalized for the spill, leaving only four skaters in the final – two of them Chinese.
The men’s 1000 metres final also had to be restarted after home favourite Joo Jaehee slid out, but he retained his place in the restart, only to fall again – an incident for which Zhang Bohao would pay the price long after the final had finished and spectators were leaving the stadium.
Zhang Xinzhe, silver medallist in the 1500 metres the previous day, won gold in 1:26.257, ahead of Muhammed Bozdag of Turkey in 1:26.349. Japan’s Raito Kida was promoted to bronze medal in 1:26.478.