Capital gains for China's speedsters

The sport's soaring popularity, fed off a successful Beijing 2022 program, has also impressed the international community as the Olympic legacy continues to pay dividends for winter sports across the country.

Roared on by a rousing crowd at the sold-out Capital Indoor Stadium, the host squad collected one gold, four silver and five bronze medals across all individual and team disciplines — except the women's 3,000m relay — underlining the progress made in building a more versatile squad.

"Overall I think we did a pretty good job, even though we faced tough challenges from all the international opponents," Olympic champion skater Liu Shaoang said after winning the sole gold in the men's 1,000m on Sunday.