Strong start

A series of breakthroughs at the youth level augur well for the youngsters' medal potential at future Olympics, and also reaffirm Li's confidence that they are making the right progress in the sport.

Since it was established in 2022, China's ski mountaineering team, with more than half of its 17 athletes from Xizang and Xinjiang, has had an impressive medal haul from numerous international events.

The strong results include 15 gold, two silver and five bronze medals in multiple disciplines, such as individual, sprint and mixed relay, from five International Ski Mountaineering Federation World Cup events, three Youth World Cup legs, and the 2023 World Championships.

The Tibetan duo of Cidan Yuzhen and Yuzhen Lamu, as well as Buluer from the Mongolian ethnic group in Xinjiang, are among the most promising contenders for podiums at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

At the 2023 ISMF World Championships in Spain, Yuzhen Lamu dominated the U20 women's sprint discipline with wins in the qualification, semifinal and final rounds to become the first Chinese ski mountaineering world champion at the youth level.

Team China's most fruitful campaign in the Youth World Cup series came in Meribel, France, in December 2023 with a haul of six medals. Five of the medals, including all three gold, were won by athletes from Xizang.

At the 2026 Winter Olympics, only the men's and women's sprint disciplines and a mixed-gender relay combining two sprint races will be staged, with three gold medals up for grabs in total.

Traditionally only popular in the European Alps, the growth of skimo in North America and also China has helped the sport gain more international exposure, prompting the International Olympic Committee to include the sport for the 2026 Games.

"Our goal for the Olympic debut in Italy is to finish on the podium, and to make it a true global sport," said Team China manager Li.