Zhongning Slalom Open

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

June was rich in prime events this year. One of them took place at the end of the month in Zhongning, China, bringing together participants from many countries to decide who was the strongest in the main skating disciplines. Skaters from 11 countries of Europe and Asia came to the first Chinese two cones competition of this year to challenge each other for the victory. Here is the overview of this event!

Women's Classic

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

Feng Hui (Chn, #4) got the victory of the Classic competition. She was the strongest out of the 8 skaters and took the first place, performing her new modified run very technically. Liu Jian Xin (Chn, #133), who started her career at the Shanghai Slalom Open 2014, performed a perfectly clean run and made her very first prime event podium, finishing at the second place. This is her best result so far! The only Russian competitor out of the 7 Chinese opponents, Sofia Bogdanova (Rus, #14) despite a large quantity of kicked cones, made her first podium on a two-cone events of this year and ended up third.

WOMEN'S TOP-5:

 

1. Feng Hui (Chn)

2. Liu Jian Xin (Chn)

3. Bogdanova Sofia (Rus)

4. Li Ya Lin (Chn)

5. Zhao Zi Jin (Chn)

Video by frozwheel

Men's Classic

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

Yu Jin Seong (Kor, #7) made his first victory of the season, taking the first place of the Classic competition. The winner of the Asian Roller Skating Championships 2014, Liao Jie (Chn, #27) opened his new competing season at the second place of the podium. Romain Lebois (Fra, #8) made his first prime event podium of 2015 and ended up third.

MEN'S TOP-5:

 

1. Yu Jin Seong (Kor)

2. Liao Jie (Chn)

3. Lebois Romain (Fra)

4. Puzanov Artyom (Rus)

5. Tseng Miao (Tpe)

Video by frozwheel

Junior Men's Classic

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

Zhang Hao (Chn, #3) made his first victory of the season, winning the Junior Classic competition. He was first for all the judges and far away from the other nine participants. The winner of the Junior Classic of Namwon Korea Open 2014, Li Wen Zhuo (Chn, #97) opened his season with the second place. Yu Jun Yan (Chn, #100) ended up third, making his best result for the moment!

MEN'S JUNIOR TOP-5:

 

1. Zhang Hao (Chn)

2. Li Wen Zhuo (Chn)

3. Yu Jun Yan (Chn)

4. Kim Jun Geom (Kor)

5. Shen Zhi Peng (Chn)

Video by frozwheel

Classic Slalom Pair

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

Ranked second in the new Pair Slalom World Ranking, Chinese duo Guo Fang and Zhang Hao were the strongest in the Pair Slalom contest, they got more points from the judges than anyone else and won the competition. Another Chinese couple, Feng Hui and Zeng Yi made their first Pair performance together and finished at the second position. Kim Jun Kyeom and Yu Jin Seong (Kor, #5) took the third place of the podium.

CLASSIC SLALOM PAIR TOP-5:

 

1. Guo Fang / Zhang Hao (Chn)

2. Feng Hui / Zeng Yi (Chn)

3. Kim Jun Kyeom / Yu Jin Seong (Kor)

4. Kim Bong Geun / Lee Jong Suk (Kor)

5. Shen Zhi Peng / Wang Yu Xuan (Chn)

Video by frozwheel

Men’s Freestyle Battle

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

Zhang Hao (Chn, #3) got another victory, beating everyone in the Battle Final. He was the strongest out of the 15 skaters. Artyom Puzanov (Rus, #43) showed great results, making his first two-cone event podium and took the second place. Li Wen Zhuo (Chn, #97) made another podium and finished at the third step. Yu Jun Yan (Chn, #100) ended up fourth, which is a very good result for him!

MEN'S TOP-4:

 

1. Zhang Hao (Chn)

2. Puzanov Artyom (Rus)

3. Li Wen Zhuo (Chn)

4. Yu Jun Yan (Chn)

Women’s Freestyle Battle

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

Only three girls were competing at the Women's Battle. Feng Hui (Chn, #4) added another victory to her collection, leaving Sofia Bogdanova (Rus, #14) on the second place of the podium. Liu Jian Xin (Chn, #133) made another record for herself, made her second prime event podium and ended up third.

WOMEN'S TOP-3:

 

1. Feng Hui (Chn)

2. Bogdanova Sofia (Rus)

3. Liu Jian Xin (Chn)

Speed Slalom Women

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

The Junior winner of the Lishui Slalom Open 2014 and IFSC 2014, Lu Qian Qian (Chn, #21) went to the Senior category this year. She showed the best qualification time (5.154 sec) and won the big final in front the only representative of the Senior Women's Speed Slalom competition that wasn’t Chinese, Kristina Lysenko (Rus, #7). Zhang Yan (Chn, #208) made her best result so far, winning the small final against the beginner Wang Hong Juan (Chn), who did great as well and took the fourth place of her very first competition.

WOMEN'S TOP-4:

 

1. Lu Qian Qian (Chn)

2. Lysenko Kristina (Rus)

3. Zhang Yan (Chn)

4. Wang Hong Juan (Chn)

Speed Slalom Men

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

The Namwon Korea Open winner, Guo Fang (Chn, #5) won the big final in front of Jimmy Fort (Fra, #2), who showed the best qualification time (4.381 sec) and took the second place. Yu Jin Seong (Kor, #9) got the victory of the consolation final and took the third position, leaving Romain Lebois (Fra, #8) at the fourth place of the podium.

MEN'S TOP-4:

 

1. Guo Fang (Chn)

2. Fort Jimmy (Fra)

3. Yu Jin Seong (Kor)

4. Lebois Romain (Fra)

Junior Speed Slalom

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

In the Junior Women's category, Feng Hui (Chn, #23), who did the best qualification time (5.163 sec), won the final in front of Liu Jian Xin (Chn, #115). Zhao Zi Jin (Chn, #117) won the consolation final against the newcomer Li Ya Lin (Chn).

 

In the Junior Men's category, Yu Jun Yan (Chn, #166), who did the best qualification time (4.534 sec), won the final in front of Shen Zhi Peng (Chn, #485). The newcomer, Zeng Yi (Chn), who performed well in Pair Slalom with Feng Hui, showed an excellent result and won the consolation final against Zhang Hao (Chn, #60)

WOMEN'S JUNIOR TOP-4:

 

1. Feng Hui (Chn)

2. Liu Jian Xin (Chn)

3. Zhao Zi Jin (Chn)

4. Li Ya Lin (Chn)


MEN'S JUNIOR TOP-4:

 

1. Yu Jun Yan (Chn)

2. Shen Zhi Peng (Chn)

3. Zeng Yi (Chn)

4. Zhang Hao (Chn)

Freestyle Slides Men

Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee
Credit : Ashlyn Fang Lee

2014 World Champion and current world number one Huang Hai Yang from China won the Men Slides final. Lyn Yao (Chn, #10) finished second. Two newcomers from China, Wang Qing Tan and Qiu Xian Dong did great, getting the third and fourth places respectively for their very first competition!

MEN'S TOP-4:

 

1. Huang Hai Yang (Chn)

2. Lyn Yao (Chn)

3. Wang Qing Tan (Chn)

4. Qiu Xian Dong (Chn)

Check the full results here...

Polina Semenova for WorldSlalomSeries.com

Proofreading by Maryam Amiand

Photo by Ashlyn Fang Lee

Video by frozwheel

July 2015