BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The downhill track of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games was given a thumbs up when it held a competitive race for the first time on Thursday.
Zhang Xiaosong and Kong Fanying respectively won the men's and women's downhill race of the 14th Chinese National Winter Games when the track was unveiled to the public.
Kong, who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics slalom and Super-G races, said the track had been well prepared to hold a competitive race.
"For me, it is more than good enough," the 23-year-old Heilongjiang skier said.
"Last year, I went to Austria and Italy to take part in some races, and compared with the tracks I raced there, this one is more demanding and more interesting as well, " she said.
Zhang, one of the best skiers for China who is also from Heilongjiang province like Kong, said his next career goal is to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics downhill race and ski on this track.
"This track is the most challenging one of all the tracks I raced. Its curves are more winding and slopes steeper," he said.
"I think its set-up already reaches the demands to hold a high-level race," he said.
The downhill track is part of the National Alpine Skiing Center which will stage the first test event of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics - the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup - on February 15-16.
