New faces lace up for China

His back-to-back 500m wins at last season's final two World Cup legs in February proved he remains an elite contender on the ice despite missing almost four years of international racing.

After undergoing successful surgery on his right shoulder in April, Lin feels ready for a stronger comeback this season.

"Physically I am getting better every day. An effective rehab program helped me recover sooner than expected. It's been three months since the surgery, and now I can train on ice without the old injury bothering me," said the 26-year-old, who takes a one-hour Chinese lesson every day.

Also busy shaking off the rust at the camp are the Liu brothers, who missed all international events last season due to the naturalization process and only raced in their first official competition since Beijing 2022 at the Chinese national championships in March.

The brothers, born to a Chinese father and Hungarian mother in Budapest, are excited to join the national program of the country they call their second home.

"We don't have any issues of fitting in because we've been living together with our Chinese grandparents since we were little, plus our father always cooks us Chinese food. The culture and life in China for us are just natural to get used to," said the elder brother Shaolin.

"We've been back so often that we don't feel any different," said Shaoang, who, like his brother, speaks fluent Mandarin.