China's third gold medal: Ning Zhongyan defeats the USA to claim gold, latest Winter Olympics medal standings see China rise to 12th place

On February 20th Beijing time, the Milan Winter Olympics continued with a highlight event just concluded—the men's 1500m speed skating final. Chinese athlete Ning Zhongyan delivered an outstanding performance, breaking the Olympic record with a time of 1:41.98 to win the gold medal. This marks the third gold for the Chinese team in this edition, and thanks to this victory, China has climbed to 12th place in the gold medal rankings—a truly joyous achievement!

Ning Zhongyan is a renowned Chinese speed skater and served as the flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He is a leading figure in Chinese speed skating. Previously, he earned two bronze medals in the men's 1000m and the men's team pursuit. Tonight, he aimed to upgrade his medal color in his main event, the 1500m, where his biggest rival was the American star Stoeckl, a favorite for the title who had already secured two golds for the USA. The two were set for an epic showdown!

China had two participants in total. Liu Hanbin started earlier in the 9th group, but his strength waned in the final stretch, finishing with a time of 1:49, ranking last. Later, Ning Zhongyan competed 13th, relying on a powerful final sprint. He completed the race flawlessly, clocking 1:41.98 and breaking the Olympic record again. This put immense pressure on the last contender, the favorite Stoeckl, who couldn’t match the sprint and finished with 1:42.75, failing to surpass Ning. Ultimately, we secured this gold without trouble!

This race was truly a battle among elites, with four athletes breaking the Olympic record and the record being reset multiple times. In the end, Ning Zhongyan clinched victory over the USA, earning a highly valuable gold that was immensely satisfying. This is the Chinese delegation’s third gold in these games. With three golds in two days, our ranking has risen further to 12th, distancing ourselves from South Korea. Plus, we still have three more medal opportunities ahead. We look forward to China winning more golds—let’s go!

Written by / Sports Novels