China’s freestyle skiing team came close to reaching the finals at the FIS World Championships mixed team aerials event in Switzerland on Thursday, ultimately finishing sixth after a fiercely competitive first round.
The team, featuring seasoned athletes Qi Guangpu, Xu Mengtao, and Wang Xindi, faced intense pressure as they vied for one of the four coveted spots in the final round among seven formidable teams.
Xu, the reigning Olympic champion, took the first jump but stumbled upon landing, earning a score of 59.61 points and placing seventh overall. Wang followed with a technically challenging routine, scoring 94.69 points despite a slight falter. Anchor jumper Qi delivered a polished final performance, securing 119.03 points. However, the team’s cumulative score wasn’t enough to advance to the next round.
“Today’s competition venue is very close to the site of next year’s Winter Olympics in Milan, so this serves as a valuable preview for us to acclimatize to the conditions,” said Qi. “Most ski resorts at home are extremely cold, with snow textures closer to ice, but the snow here resembles mud. That means we’ll need some time to experience and adapt to these differences.”
The U.S. team clinched gold in dominant fashion, with all three athletes surpassing the 100-point mark in the final round, accumulating a total of 344.63 points. Ukraine secured silver, and Switzerland took home the bronze medal.
