On December 8, 2023, Cai Xuetong returned as the king at the Genting World Cup
Genting Ski Resort was once the place of frustration for Chinese snowboarder Cai Xuetong. She was devastated by missing out on a fourth Olympic medal (fourth place), but she chose not to retire and took a short break to return to training. In the 2022-2023 season, the regrouped Cai Xuetong won 1 World Cup championship and 1 runner-up. After summer training and physical training, Cai Xuetong staged a good return at the Genting World Cup at the end of 2023.
This season, Cai Xuetong's name is once again appearing in the top snowboarding events. From the FIS World Cup to the World Winter X Games, Cai Xuetong has stood on the podium continuously. The snowboarder, who once made it his lifelong quest to win a medal at the Winter Olympics, is now increasingly enjoying what snowboarding has to offer. Cai Xuetong, who has returned again and again, has reached the peak of the competition again and again, and continues to interpret the power of perseverance for the latecomers of Chinese snowboarding.
As the best skater in the Women's Snowboard World Cup, Cai Xuetong has made four appearances in the Winter Olympics, but has missed a medal again and again. In stark contrast, she has performed at the World Snowboard Championships and the World Cup, winning three World Championships and lifting the overall World Cup seven times. Cai Xuetong once said helplessly: Can you exchange the World Championships gold medal and the World Cup championship for a Winter Olympics medal?
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Cai Xuetong left a lonely figure after missing a medal
But there are no ifs in the arena, and the veteran chooses to stick to love. At the FIS Genting World Cup, 31-year-old Cai Xuetong made his debut this season. After winning the final, Cai Xuetong was very excited and hugged her teammates and friends to celebrate. Cai Xuetong said: "In this competition, I returned to the Olympic arena in order to win the championship. Although the Beijing Winter Olympics left a regret in this venue, now the venue is the same, the mood is different, all I have to do is enjoy the moment. ”
Winning gold in the World Cup also boosted Cai Xuetong's confidence. With a good state, Cai Xuetong was then invited to participate in the World Winter X Games held in Aspen, USA. Cai Xuetong has previously won 1 silver and 3 bronze, and she was invited to participate again this year. In the competition, she won the bronze medal again with a score of 83.66 points in the first round.
The two competitions allowed snowboarders to regain their confidence and condition. Talking about the previous World Cup in Genting, Cai Xuetong said that although she had already confirmed a medal before the final round of skating, she still had to continue to challenge herself: "This is the stage of the World Cup, I have to give my full play, especially in the third round I think there is no flaw, I praise myself." Extreme sports are all about constantly challenging yourself. ”
On January 26 this year, Cai Xuetong was very happy after winning the silver in the X Games
The biggest change in Cai Xuetong today is to pay more attention to the present and strive to do every job at the moment. When it comes to the 2026 Winter Olympics, Cai Xuetong no longer sets overly ambitious goals: "I'm not too young to set a goal for the Milan Winter Olympics in two years, what I need is to skate down year by year and complete every competition." I really love this project, otherwise I wouldn't have lasted so long. Next, I may participate in some commercial competitions, and then I will prepare for the 14th National Winter Games. ”
supports Cai Xuetong to take this path, as well as the increasingly hot public snowboard ice and snow atmosphere. Cai Xuetong believes that she has the ability and obligation to help China's ice and snow. "The ice and snow atmosphere in China is getting better and better, the number of skiers is increasing, and the enthusiasm is getting higher and higher, which is the huge impact of the Beijing Winter Olympics. I understand that many skiers in China are also very eager to experience the U-shaped pool project, and I hope that some small U-shaped pools can be built in China for the public to start and experience, and I will definitely come to give you an open class at that time. Cai Xuetong said.
Text/Beiqing Sports Chu Peng