Weng Yangning. [Photo/Xiaoshan Daily]

China has unveiled its roster for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Jan 23, with a record 124 athletes selected. Among them is 19-year-old Weng Yangning from Hangzhou, the city's only ice-and-snow athlete, who will compete in women's ski jumping.

Born in November 2006, Weng began her sports career in combat disciplines, training in boxing after early exposure tosanda(Chinese boxing). In 2019, she made a bold cross-over to ski jumping. A rapid rise followed: she won the women's normal hill title at the 2023-2024 National Ski Jumping Championships, competed at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, and claimed Zhejiang's first-ever ski jumping gold at China's 14th National Winter Games.

Weng's selection highlights the success of Hangzhou's talent training model and its ski jumping youth program, launched in 2019 under a national initiative to expand winter sports in southern China. Trained with international coaches at overseas camps in Slovenia, Weng is now preparing with the national team for her Olympic debut.

"I'm incredibly excited," Weng said. "Thanks to the city, provincial and national teams — without their support, I wouldn't be here."

Weng training. [Photo/Xiaoshan Daily]