Previously competing under Hungarian colours, Liu Shaoang secured third place in the 1500m final on the first medal day of the ISU World Short Track Championships in Beijing, earning China its first medal at the competition.
The last time short-track speed skaters gathered in Beijing for a world event was at the 2022 Winter Olympics, when Liu Shaoang and his brother, Liu Shaolin Sándor, still represented Hungary. Liu Shaoang claimed Olympic gold in the 500m event, while his brother finished first in the 1000m final but was disqualified, awarding the gold medal to China. This year, as Magyar Nemzet highlighted, both brothers competed under Chinese colours at the World Championships.
Liu Shaoang initially finished fourth in the 1500m final, but after Dutch skater Jens van ‘t Wout was disqualified, he moved up to third place, securing the bronze medal. Despite this achievement, the Chinese team had a modest showing, with Liu Shaoang’s medal being the only one won by the national team across four finals on Saturday.
‘While representing Hungary on the world stage, the Liu brothers have cemented their place in the country’s sports history’
As for Hungary’s results, in the women’s relay semi-final, the Hungarian team—comprising Sára Luca Bácskai, Zsófia Kónya, Maja Somodi, and Rebeka Sziliczei-Német—held second place for most of the race but ultimately qualified for the B final. There, the Hungarian team finished second in a close battle, missing out on victory by just two-thousandths of a second to South Korea, securing sixth place overall.
While representing Hungary on the world stage, the Liu brothers have cemented their place in the country’s sports history. On 22 February 2018 in PyeongChang, they led Hungary’s 5000m relay team—alongside Viktor Knoch and Csaba Burján—to the country’s first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal.
Born in Budapest to a Hungarian mother and a Chinese father, the brothers proudly represented Hungary on the international stage. While their dual heritage was often highlighted, their Hungarian identity and love for their homeland were never questioned. They competed with dignity and pride under Hungarian colours.
In autumn 2022 the Liu brothers formally requested a change of country from the Hungarian National Skating Federation (MOKSZ). The primary reason behind their decision was the departure of their longtime coach and mentor, Chiang Ching Lina, whom they regarded as a ‘substitute mother’. She had received an irrefutable offer from the Chinese federation, prompting the brothers to follow her to China.
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