Sheer icy determination

"Despite learning of the world championships' cancellation midway through our program, we've never relaxed for one day the whole winter," Wu said in a news release sent by the winter sports administrative center to China Daily on Wednesday.

"With uncertainty appearing the only certain thing during these tough times, it only matters to spend every day to the fullest.

"I am glad that my efforts paid off at the internal test event, which really gave me great encouragement," added Wu, who won the 500m test competition and came third in the 1,500m.

Out of China's 13 total gold medals won at the Winter Olympics since its debut at the 1980 edition in Lake Placid, New York, the short-track team has contributed 10 to spearhead the country's quest for a dominating home run in 2022 in Beijing and co-host Zhangjiakou, Hebei province.

With the peak of the pandemic overlapping with the busiest stretch of the international winter sports calendar in early March, multiple Chinese teams traveling abroad had to improvise on their original plans, either training at makeshift camps on their extended stay abroad or rushing back home to keep their fitness programs going during mandatory quarantines.

Such efforts were highlighted in a viral video post that showed some of China's national freestyle skiers lifting water barrels and doing bedside push-ups during their isolation.

"It's important that everybody does his or her own bit in the fight against the virus," said Xu Mengtao, a three-time Olympian in freestyle ski aerials.

"For us, it's our responsibility to stay in competition shape during the season whatever happens out there. I've never felt so strong to want to compete for my country during this tough time when everybody is looking for positive energy."