Four Cambodian snowboarders competed in this year's Asian Winter Games, marking the tropical country's first time participating in the international sporting event.
The 9th Asian Winter Games officially opened on Friday in Harbin City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province and runs until Feb 14.
This year's Games have drawn more than 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions across Asia, making it the largest edition in terms of participation, according to organizers.
The team includes four snowboarders who made their debut at the Yabuli ski resort in Harbin.
Cambodian competitors, who made their debut at the Yabuli Ski Resort in Harbin, said that they value the chance to learn from athletes from around the continent.
"We'll just go there to share connections with other people from outside countries. I just feel happy that I have the opportunity to come here. I don't have much experience on snowboard, but I would love to try more and more if I have the opportunity to train," said Chantsovanratanak Doung, a Cambodian snowboarder.
He added that he is "really happy" to be in Harbin, despite being unaccustomed to the city's harsh cold temperatures.
Doung's teammate Mengchoing Phin said he is glad to have the opportunity to experience China during the event.
"I am so excited to be here. The winter sports are amazing. Snow, and China, Chinese people are so amazing. I love the culture. I love the food here. Everything is amazing," he said.
Cambodian snowboarders compete in Winter Asian Games for first time
Olympic champion Gu Ailing of China cruised into the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2025 FIS Freeski World Cup in Zhangjiakou, in north China's Hebei Province, on Thursday, joining compatriots Li Fanghui and Zhang Kexin.
The women's freeski halfpipe qualification, which kicked off on Thursday morning, saw 26 athletes battling for a spot in the final. The best results were determined across two runs, with the top 10 athletes advancing to the final where they will compete for points to determine standings for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Gu scored 86.50 points in her first run to sit second behind Li, before improving to 92.75 in her second run to top the women's qualification.
"I feel pretty good this season. It's been a year since my last halfpipe competition, right here. So it's been quite a while. But I'm very happy. Moreover, I think from the perspective of overcoming pressure, winning once is already quite difficult, but to keep winning, it gets harder and harder each year. So I just keep challenging myself," said Gu.
The other two Chinese skiers, Li Fanghui and Zhang Kexin, also put run strong runs and advanced to the final, grabbing the third and fifth qualifying places respectively.
"Last night I was still worried about the movements, but I did quite a good somersault during today's training. And then, I performed steadily during the competition. I spent the entire summer preparing for the winter competition. Now I'm just using the competition as a form of practice," said Li.
The finals are scheduled for Saturday.
China's Gu Ailing qualifies for halfpipe final at home freeski World Cup
