SHANGHAI, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- After a powerful display from South Korea last weekend in Nagoya, Japan, the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating crossed over to Shanghai on Friday.
China, who claimed gold in the men's 5,000m relay in Nagoya, will be expecting a better finish on home soil. Wu Dajing, winner of the men's 500m at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, easily sailed through Friday's heats. In the previous four legs of this World Cup series, Wu won the 500m just once, in Salt Lake City last month.
"I am steady this season," said Wu. "I performed to my normal level in the previous legs and always made the semifinals or finals. I hope for good results, but the most important thing is to continue to improve."
Besides Wu, other Chinese skaters to watch include An Kai, who has shown well in the 1,500m, and Han Tianyu, who has been steady in the 1,000m.
Looking to the women, China's Han Yutong has been consistently excellent across 1,500m and 1,000m, while Qu Chunyu has gone well in the 500m. Both of them qualified for Saturday's quarterfinals.
However, Han, Qu and the rest of the Chinese women's team will be up against stiff competition. Canada's Kim Boutin clinched her third successive 500m gold of the season in Nagoya, and will be confident of a fourth in Shanghai.
Elsewhere, Suzanne Schulting also looks to be returning to her best. She performed with trademark power and timing in Nagoya, winning the 1,500m to offset the disappointment of a rare loss in the 1,000m.
The Shanghai leg of the World Cup Short Track Speed Skating runs from December 6 to 8. Enditem
