Yunnan's athletes Liu Rongsheng and Chen Degen competed in the men's 30km cross-country skiathlon (15 km of of classic skiing, 15 km of of freestyle skiing) at Beijing 2022 on February 6. After a tough competition, Liu Rongsheng ranked 38th in 1 hour, 24 minutes, 59.6 seconds, the best record ever for Chinese athletes in this event at Winter Olympics.

Chinese national cross-country skiing team has a total of four male athletes qualified for the Winter Olympics. A total of 70 participants from 34 countries took part in this skiathlon. The course is 3.75 km in length and requires athletes to ski eight laps.

Cross-country skiing started relatively late in China, which left with a weak foundation and no past success. Chen Degen, from Zhaotong, Yunnan, and Liu Rongsheng, from Baoshan, Yunnan, were both middle and long distance runners before joining the national team through a crossover selection in 2018. Their participation in Beijing 2022 this time made a breakthrough in the number of participants and achievements for China.  

"Liu and Chen did very well today, this event is Liu's strong point, the 38th place were also the best record in this event for the Chinese national team in the Winter Olympics," said Li Guangyan, team leader of Yunnan Provincial Sports Team, excitedly. "The Nordic countries and Russia are very good at this event. It is not easy for Liu and Chen to win such a place. As the post-00s generation, they still have a lot of room in the future."

Duan Qiquan, Liu's enlightenment coach said: "Cross-country skiing, like marathon, has a high demand of personal ability and strength for athletes. Liu behave tenaciously in the game, although it was a pity not to break into the top 30." Duan said he was very excited and proud to hear Liu's name mentioned by the commentator several times during the competition. "Cross-country skiing started late in China, Liu Rongsheng and the team didn't have enough time to practice. In another four years, they will definitely make greater progress."

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(Editors: Christine, Lexi)