The top three players pose after the women's freeski halfpipe event at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games at the Yabuli Ski Resort, Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Feb 8, 2025. [Photo by Wei Xiaohao/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 9th Asian Winter Games kicked off its first day of competition today in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, with an impressive start for China. In the women's freeski halfpipe final, Li Fanghui delivered a dominant performance, scoring 95.25 points to secure the country's first gold medal of the Games. Her teammate Zhang Kexin claimed silver with 87.50 points.

Born in Harbin in 2003, Li has been a rising star in Chinese freestyle skiing. She won silver at the 2016 National Winter Games and the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympics in the women's team freeski halfpipe. This time, Li, the last minute call-up following Olympic champion Gu Ailing's withdrawal because of injury, finally claimed the top podium spot.