Ning, Liu to bear China's flag at opening ceremony of 9th Asian Winter Games

(ECNS) -- Ning Zhongyan and Liu Mengting have been named as the Chinese delegation's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 9th Harbin Asian Winter Games, the Chinese delegation announced on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Ning, born in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is a star speed skater. He joined the Chinese speed skating team in 2018 and competed in the men's 1,000 meter at Beijing 2022.He finished seventh in the men's 1,500 meter event, the best performance by a Chinese athlete in the event at Winter Olympics.

Ning became the first Chinese male skater to win the short-distance all-around title at ISU Speed Skating All-around World Championships in 2024.

Liu, 20, a female Chinese freestyle skier, made her history in Jan. 5 by claiming her first FIS Freeski World Cup victory in the women's big air event in Klagenfurt, Austria.