Chinese speed skater Liu Hanbin made his Olympic debut in the men’s 5,000 meters event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, marking the first time in 20 years that a Chinese athlete has competed in this distance at the Olympics.
This report comes from Xinhua, a news agency based in China.
Standing at the starting line of the Milan oval, Liu Hanbin honored a personal promise to his late grandfather by raising his pinky finger before the race. Liu’s grandfather had encouraged him to skate from a young age but passed away seven years ago before seeing Liu compete on the Olympic stage. Liu completed the men’s 5,000 meters race with a time of 6 minutes, 24.25 seconds, placing 17th among 20 competitors.
Liu acknowledged that his time was slower than his best sea-level performances, attributing the difference to an injury sustained two months prior to the Olympics. Despite not having high expectations, he expressed satisfaction with being able to participate and compete against international opponents.
This event marked a notable return of Chinese representation in the men’s 5,000 meters since Gao Xuefeng’s participation at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, where he finished 25th. Liu, who set a national and world junior record of 6:11.10 at a 2025 World Cup event in the United States, said he feels proud to have earned the opportunity and is hopeful about the future development of Chinese long-distance speed skating.
Liu has focused on long-distance events such as the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and described his attraction to these races due to their duration which allows athletes to fully experience the competition, technical nuances, and crowd support. He described his first Olympic experience as memorable and praised the atmosphere and support from fans throughout the event.
