Six stitches, hard collisions and adrenaline-pumping passing maneuvers — China's star skater Liu Shaoang overcame a lot, and did it all to carry the host team at the short-track world championships over the weekend in Beijing.

Unfortunately, and frustratingly, it was not enough to save Team China from signing off the critical pre-Olympics test on home ice with its worst outcome in a decade at the season-ending ISU showpiece.

Gong Li (R) competes during the women's 500m rep. semifinal at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2025 in Beijing, China, March 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Sun Fei)

Without its anchor skater Lin Xiaojun, who had to skip the Beijing worlds to recover from a shoulder surgery, the Chinese squad had its lack of depth and experience fully exposed in fiercely contested races against traditional powers, such as Canada and the Netherlands, and emerging new contenders that include Belgium, Poland and Italy at the Capital Indoor Stadium.

Its thin yield of just one silver (men's 5,000m relay) and one bronze (men's 1,500m), despite enjoying a home-ice advantage at the Beijing 2022 venue, has hit China's most decorated winter sports program with a sobering reality check. Its once world-beating edge has been blunted, with skaters from the West taking pole position in the race to Olympic podium in Italy.

As China's only individual medalist, Liu, who finished third in the 1,500m at the championships' first final, behind winner William Dandjinou and runner-up Stijn Desmet, summed up the entire campaign as "challenging, yet motivating".

"It was quite a hard season. There were a lot of new challenges that we had to overcome," said Liu, who had to get six stitches on his right thigh on Saturday evening, after a collision during the 5,000m relay semifinals resulted in an open wound on his leg.

Liu, however, remained adamant that he could race, asking the medics to "stitch it tight" at the hospital, according to Chinese team manager Liu Chenyu, and dismissed the coach's suggestion to sit out the action on Sunday.

"Waking up the next morning, I still felt quite a strong urge to keep racing. I never thought about quitting, as I still want to help my team and give 100 percent.

"I persuaded the coach and doctor to let me race, and I appreciate, very much, the medical staff who helped me get back in shape in time," said Liu, who just last week celebrated his 27th birthday.

Despite the pain and fatigue from a long night, the reigning 500m Olympic champion anchored a gusty performance in the Sunday final to help Team China finish second in the 5,000m relay, only outpaced by the all-conquering Team Canada.

No other Chinese skaters managed to land a podium finish over the other five individual events, with last year's world champion Sun Long and women's youngster Wang Xinran the only two others to reach their respective Final A races over the weekend.

Despite the disappointing results, China's head coach Zhang Jing still took pride in "progress that cannot be defined by medals".

"Overall, I am not satisfied with our performances and results," Zhang, who guided Team China to the top of the medal standings with four golds at last year's worlds in Rotterdam, told Xinhua.

"Our skaters were not aggressive enough and have a lot of catching-up to do in close battles. They have to learn to be more brave and dare to take the lead," said Zhang.

Citing unexpected errors, such as Sun's stumble while leading Friday's 2,000m mixed relay quarterfinal, coach Zhang urged her athletes to improve their "composure under pressure".

"Some tiny errors and mistakes, due to lapses in focus, have cost us dearly. This is what we should keep working on to avoid next year," said Zhang.

Some individual progress shouldn't be overlooked, though, even without delivering medals, Zhang emphasized, referring to Wang's first Final A appearance at the worlds (women's 500m) and Gong Li's personal best run in the women's 1,000m quarters.

"I think we've grown more mature and more confident taking the lead in the race against the world's best," said Wang, a formidable 23-year-old member of China's 3,000m women's relay team.

"We have to be better in changeovers, route selection and fitness, for sure. I believe we'll be able to maintain a lead throughout a race sooner, rather than later."

Heading into the final offseason before the Olympics, Team China is expecting the toughest possible Games campaign in Italy, with the Canadian "Ice Maples" almost too strong to overcome on the world stage, particularly the men's squad, led by distance specialist Dandjinou and sprint star Steven Dubois.

Five times they took to the ice at the Beijing worlds with the chance to win gold, and five times they crossed the line first.

After Dandjinou and Dubois getting the Canadian men off to a flying start with golds in 1,500m and 500m, respectively, on Saturday, the pair teamed up for gold in both the men's and the mixed relays on Sunday, while also going head-to-head in the 1,000m, where they eventually finished one-two with Dubois touching first.

By winning all four men's events, including the 5,000m relay, Canada capped off arguably the most dominant worlds campaign by a single nation, with victories also secured in the mixed and women's relays.

Meanwhile, the consistent threat from Dutch skaters, highlighted by Xandra Velzeboer's convincing win in the women's 500m, and the looming challenges from Poland and Olympics host Italy, which took bronze and silver, respectively, in the mixed relay, have made it a daunting task for Team China to continue its golden run at the 2026 Games.

"We have medal potential, but flawless execution in major events requires steadier minds and tactical precision," Zhang said. "Moving forward, we will focus on staying mentally strong and minimizing errors for better results."