Speed skating qualifier for National Winter Games wraps up

Prize winners of the men's 1,500 meters (Open Group) competition pose for a group photo. [Photo/Dalian Sports Bureau]

The 2023-2024 Chinese Cup Speed Skating Elite League (Hulunbuir Division), a qualifying competition for the 14th National Winter Games, came to a close at the Inner Mongolia Ice Sports Training Center on Nov 3.

In the men's 1,500 meters (Open Group) competition, Dalian athlete Chen Lei claimed the gold medal with a time of 1 minute and 48.32 seconds.

As the highest-level and largest-scale domestic speed skating competition, the event ran for three days, featuring divisions for both the Open Group and Youth Group.

The various competitions included men's and women's 500-meter, 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter races, as well as women's 3,000-meter (Open Group), men's 5,000-meter (Open Group) events, and team pursuit, and mass-start events.

Over 500 athletes from around the country engaged in fierce competition throughout the duration of the qualifier.