A competitive skier performs a jump at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China, on Dec. 20, 2015. (Photo : Getty Images)
Sun Jianping bagged the first gold medal of the 13th National Winter Games after gaining the highest mark in the men’s K90 ski jumping event on Sunday.
Sun, who hails from the industrial city of Tonghua in northeast China's Jilin Province, jumped 103 meters and collected a total of 137 points to win gold, followed by Tian Zhandong and Yang Guang in the second and third places with 135 and 125 points, respectively.
"I am very excited, and I am also very happy that China won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. I believe I can still compete by then," Sun told the press after winning the title.
Fellow Tonghua native Li Xueyao also won the women's event with 103 points, while her teammate Ma Tong took second place with 95 points. Liu Gi from Urumqi placed third with 91 points.
In team competitions, Tonghua dominated the top spot with 428.5 points, with Jilin City tailing behind in second place.
The National Winter Games opened to a rough start that the first ski jumping event was postponed to Sunday due to heavy winds at Yabuli Ski Resort in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
The schedule for the men's ski jumping event, which will see 11 athletes from three teams competing, was originally set at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
But the games' committee officials notified athletes early in the morning prior to the event that it had to be postponed to 12 a.m. as heavy winds may pose a threat to the skiers while jumping.
The event was further cancelled again at 11 a.m. and was rescheduled to 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.
"There are different winds in different places in Yabuli, and we can only check the weather condition accurately right in the event field," competition manager Cui Yingbo said.
