Rowers no longer fish out of water

The wheels are literally in motion for a group of pioneering Chinese athletes who are leaving the water behind for a new career on snow.

Among more than 500 athletes competing at the inaugural National Roller Ski Championship in Baiyin, Gansu province last week, 11 were former full-time rowers, who are using the sport as a stepping stone to cross-country skiing as part of a targeted government development program to generate new pools of talent for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Without a tradition in skiing, especially in the grueling cross-country discipline, the National Winter Sports Administrative Center and Chinese Rowing Association launched an initiative at the beginning of the year to identify young rowers who are robust and willing enough to compete on the snow.