China's medal hopefuls appear to be peaking at just the right time ahead of Winter Olympics

With their long-awaited home Olympics just around the corner, China's winter sports athletes are going all out in their final month of preparations as they target a Beijing 2022 gold rush.

Having brought home just one gold medal from the 2018 Games in South Korea, China's Olympians are determined to turn things around on home ice and snow. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, solid training programs and encouraging results at international test events bode well for their chances.

Spearheading the charge is the formidable short-track speed skating squad.

During this season's World Cup series, key medal hopes, including veteran Wu Dajing and rising star Ren Ziwei, looked to be peaking just in time for the Games following their long pandemic-enforced hiatus from international competition.

Wu, who claimed China's sole gold at Pyeongchang 2018, showed he remains the man to beat in the notoriously unpredictable 500m event by storming to gold at the final World Cup leg in Dutch city Dordrecht in late November.

The triumph has helped Wu rebuild confidence after a string of setbacks, including a false-start penalty and an early elimination, at the three previous Cup stops.

"It's definitely important for me to walk into the Olympics knowing that I am still on top of the event," Wu told China Daily last week at a winter sports promotion event in Beijing.

"Mentally, the Cup win gave me a huge boost after what I went through at the first three meets. I feel that I am making progress rapidly and I started to trust myself again, which is what matters most," said the 27-year-old native of Heilongjiang province.

"I am more focused on my target now than four years ago. I will concentrate on my routine and will approach training at my own pace in the final month to bring the best out of myself."

With challengers such as Hungary's Sandor Liu Shaolin and South Korea's Hwang Dae-heon coveting the 500m title, Wu, the current world-record holder, is more focused on outperforming himself in Beijing.

"There are a lot of tough competitors for sure, but the one I need to beat first is myself. As long as I am at my best, I shouldn't need to worry about anyone," said Wu, who was the only skater to crack the 40-second mark this season by winning the Dordrecht leg in 39.878. That was just 0.373 seconds slower than his world record, clocked at Salt Lake City, Utah in 2018.

Meanwhile, Ren, who won men's 5,000m relay silver in Pyeongchang, has emerged as the squad's most outstanding individual this season after bagging three golds－1,000m and two 1,500m－to top the men's overall World Cup standings.

With retired six-time Olympic champion Viktor Ahn guiding him from the sideline, Ren has developed into a more complete skater and looks on course for glory in Beijing.

"There is never a 100-percent guarantee in short track, but I have the heart and strength to go for gold in each of my five events at the Olympics," said Ren, 24, who will lace up in all three individual events and two relays in Beijing.

Ahn, who won three Olympic golds skating for his native South Korea and three representing Russia, was hired by Team China in August 2020 as a technical coach.

'Let the show begin'

Sharing the Capital Indoor Stadium with the short-track team at Beijing 2022, China's two-time world champion figure skating pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong are also raring to finish a step higher on the podium.

The silver-medal winners from the Pyeongchang Games are now fine-tuning their routines at western Beijing's Shougang training base to improve their jump connections and artistic expression.

"Figure skating is a form of art, not just a sport, where there is always room for improvement. We are pushing for every bit of extra chemistry between us for a better performance every time we hit the ice," said Sui, who won back-to-back grands prix events with Han in Canada and Italy this season.

A world power in pairs since legendary couple Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo won the country's only Olympic gold in the discipline at the 2010 Vancouver Games, injuries hampered Sui and Han's 2018 campaign. They were pipped to gold in Pyeongchang by just 0.43 points behind Germany's Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot.

Now injury-free, the Chinese pair head into the Beijing Games in confident mood.

"Physically we've never been healthier, and technically we really like our routine difficulty. We just cannot wait to let the show begin," said Han, who spent over half a year recovering from hip surgery in April 2020 that left him with four steel screws in his body.

"The chance to compete at home Olympics does not come by easily," Sui added. "We will try to savor this opportunity of a lifetime as much as possible."

Freestyle phenoms

On the snow, China has good reason to believe Beijing 2022 will be its best Winter Games yet thanks to the rise of a new breed of stylish competitors.

Freestyle skier Gu Ailing, men's snowboard big air prodigy Su Yiming and the veteran halfpipe combo of Liu Jiayu and Cai Xuetong are among the stars to watch in Beijing's co-host Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, where the majority of the Games' snow sports will be staged.

All-rounder Gu has shone throughout the International Ski Federation's World Cup series, with stunning big air and halfpipe victories suggesting she will grab the limelight at the Games.

Born in California to a Chinese mother and American father, Gu, known as Eileen in the States, is a favorite for Olympic halfpipe gold following consecutive wins last month at Copper Mountain, Colorado－first in the World Cup series and then the Dew Tour.

Also competing in halfpipe, snowboarders Liu and Cai look in great shape heading into their fourth Olympics.

"As a veteran of the sport in China, I feel like we need to lead by example and inspire younger talent to pursue their own career goals, so I will try my utmost for a new breakthrough in Beijing," said Liu, who finished second behind American Chloe Kim to earn China's first Olympic snowboard medal in 2018.

And while China remains off the medal pace in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon, those national programs are making breakthroughs as they bid to qualify as many athletes as possible for the Beijing Games.

Before winning the hosting rights in 2015, China had only participated in a third of events at the Winter Olympics, yet now is close to fulfilling its goal of competing in all 109 medal events at the Beijing Games.