'Fierce competition' boosts biathletes

China's young biathletes are confident the steep learning curve they encountered at the Winter Youth Olympic Games will benefit them in future competitions.

Ding Yuhuan, China's flag bearer for the opening ceremony, was the best-placed Chinese in Tuesday's action, the penultimate day of biathlon events, with a 34th-place finish in the women's 6-kilometer sprint.

"I've discovered what I lack compared with my opponents. I should learn from them in the coming days," said the 16-year-old.

"Competing against around 100 rivals, it felt quite fierce. I've gained experience from it, which will be a big help for me when I compete in national events."

For Ding's male counterparts, Tuesday's 7.5km sprint proved a real struggle. Shi Yuanyuan was the highest-ranked Chinese in 57th place, with teammates Gou Zhendong and Liu Zhaoyu 59th and 60th respectively.

Shi shot clean in the prone, but incurred four penalty loops in the standing section.

"After shooting perfect in the prone, I became a little impatient. The result was below my expectations," Shi said. "I kind of feel bad about it because I didn't perform to my personal-best level at the Games."

Gou misfired all his shots in the standing position, including three which hit the target next to his.

"I was just too nervous then," said Gou, who competed in three events in four days.

"I need to improve my shooting performance," he added. "I didn't find a major difference between myself and other competitors in skiing, but that wasn't the case in shooting. We have much to do on the fundamentals."

The 17-year-old Gou has set his sights on representing his country on home snow at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"I need to improve in all aspects in future training and competitions to bridge the gap. I hope to move up another level and make contributions for the team in 2022," he said.

Liu also regards the Youth Games as a stepping stone to improved performances in future.

"It's my first time competing in such a major tournament. I've gained experience from it," Liu said.

Jiang Yang, an official in charge of the team, admitted that the Chinese athletes have a long way to go to catch up with biathlon's elite nations but said there were plenty of positives to take from the Games.

"We are far behind those high-level teams on shooting accuracy," Jiang said. "But these young athletes have gained experience from international competitions, which has laid a solid foundation for their future.

"They learned technical moves from high-level opponents, and they have also made friends here, which is beneficial to their growth."

Xinhua in Les Rousses, France