Newly naturalized Liu brothers invigorate domestic race squad

Illustration: Hang Dachuan/Global Times

Newly naturalized short track speed skaters, brothers Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang, have invigorated domestic short track competitions, as the duo stole the show at the national champions race from Friday to Sunday.

Representing Team Tianjin, Shaoang won the men's 1,000 meters final while his elder brother shaolin finished in second place. However, what stunned others was that Shaolin set a new national record with 1:22.490 in the semis, 0.04 seconds ahead of the previous record set by short tracker Han Tianyu in the 2018/19 season. 

Shaolin told the Global Times after Sunday's race that they did not train as much as they used to do over the past year as they had to deal with the naturalization process, which hampered their performance at the race. But their Sunday achievement illustrated that their abilities remain at the top level. 

The Liu brothers, who represented their native country Hungary at the Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, finished their naturalization process and joined Tianjin - with which their father had links before heading to Hungary - last week. However, the duo must take a 12-month break from racing internationally after the completion of the naturalization process from Hungary to China, according to the rules of the International Skating Union.

Hopes were high among Chinese fans who wanted the Liu brothers to win a relay medal at the national race. But due to disqualifications in the men's and mixed relay qualifiers, the Tianjin teams did not appear in any relay final. 

The duo, both two-time Olympic gold medalists, are no strangers to the Capital Indoor Stadium, the venue that hosted the short track speed skating competitions at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Shaolin set a new Olympic record in the 1,500 meters with 2:09.213, while Shaoang was decorated with a gold medal in the 500 meters.

Unlike at the national championships, which China's elite short trackers would not like to miss, several Olympic gold medalists, such as Wu Dajing and Ren Ziwei as well as South Korean-born naturalized athlete Lin Xiaojun, skipped the competitions at the champions race. 

But this does not mean competition has lessened as the duo faces challenges from several Chinese national team players such as Li Wenlong, Sun Long and Zhong Yuchen, all in their early 20s. In the men's 500 meters, Sun and Zhong edged out the Liu brothers' challenge for the title. 

Some fans still have grudges against the Liu brothers as their behavior both on and off the ice during the 2022 Winter Games raised concern, which led to them being booed from some in the audience at the Beijing event. But by switching teams, the duo's former Chinese rivals have become their teammates, which means their mind-set will also change.

China have never won the men's 5,000 meters relay at the Winter Olympic Games. Their best record at the Winter Games was a silver medal during the 2018 Olympics, where they were defeated by Hungary. The Liu brothers were the key figures of Hungary's squad, setting up a world record in 2018 with 6:28.625, 11 seconds faster than the current Chinese national record of 6:37.054. 

Their inclusion in China's men's short track talent pool will boost the title hopes for the national team, especially after Zhang Jing, their long-time mentor when they were competing for Hungary, has taken up the reins of the Chinese national short track team.

With their naturalization completed, the Liu brothers now can focus 100 percent on training to ensure their performance stays at the world-leading level. 

A Lin-led China team won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters relay at the world championships in March, while Shaolin also said Sunday that he wants to win the relay medal for China at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. 

The inclusion of the Liu brothers in the Chinese squad will for sure provide the team with more tactics thus making them able to maintain a leading role in future competitions.