Picking up the pace

Liu brothers make instant impact

Despite a mixed reaction from fans, the head coach of China's short-track speed skating team has hailed the arrival of naturalized stars the Liu brothers as a game-changer for developing the country's own young talents.

An Olympic-standard rink, fiercely contested races and an electrifying atmosphere in a sold-out arena — it felt just like Beijing 2022 again for Sandor Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang at last week's Chinese national championships, except this time they were competing at home.

Born in Budapest to a Chinese father and Hungarian mother, the Liu brothers made their high-profile debuts as Chinese citizens at the domestic meet after switching nationalities to represent their father's home country, having skated for Hungary at two Winter Games (Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022).

With four medals, including one gold, and a new Chinese national record (1,000m) achieved between them at the championships, the Liu brothers showcased their world-class credentials — but still faced scrutiny from the skeptics.

Suspecting the nationality switch was mostly financially motivated, some of the sport's diehard fans doubted the brothers' sincerity when they said they left Hungary primarily to further their careers on the ice.

The warm reception from the crowd at the Capital Indoor Stadium, though, showed that they are more than welcome.

"It was really nice to finally race at home," Liu Shaolin, the elder brother, said after clocking 1 minute and 26.189 seconds to finish runner-up in the men's 1,000m final A at the championships on Sunday.

His younger brother, Shaoang, won the 1,000m final in 1:26.082, after Shaolin put on a flying semifinal sprint in 1:22.490 to break Han Tianyu's four-year-old national record by 0.04 seconds.

Representing Tianjin, their father's home city close to Beijing, at the championships, the Liu brothers drew rousing cheers from over 4,000 fans whenever they raced at the iconic venue, which hosted Beijing 2022's short-track and figure skating events.

"We came back to Tianjin almost every year. My father came from here, so it was really exciting to represent our home team," said Shaolin, who also won a bronze in the 500m on Saturday.

"A lot of fans showed up, supporting us with great enthusiasm. I really appreciate their support."