Brothers Liu Shaoang (front) and Sandor Liu Shaolin compete at last week's Chinese national championships in Beijing. (WEI XIAOHAO / CHINA DAILY)

Despite a mixed reaction from fans, the head coach of China's short-track speed skating team has hailed the arrival of naturalized stars the Liu brothers as a game-changer for developing the country's own young talents.

An Olympic-standard rink, fiercely contested races and an electrifying atmosphere in a sold-out arena — it felt just like Beijing 2022 again for Sandor Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang at last week's Chinese national championships, except this time they were competing at home.

Born in Budapest to a Chinese father and Hungarian mother, the Liu brothers made their high-profile debuts as Chinese citizens at the domestic meet after switching nationalities to represent their father's home country, having skated for Hungary at two Winter Games (Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022).

With four medals, including one gold, and a new Chinese national record (1,000m) achieved between them at the championships, the Liu brothers showcased their world-class credentials — but still faced scrutiny from the skeptics.

Suspecting the nationality switch was mostly financially motivated, some of the sport's diehard fans doubted the brothers' sincerity when they said they left Hungary primarily to further their careers on the ice.

Born in Budapest to a Chinese father and Hungarian mother, the Liu brothers made their high-profile debuts as Chinese citizens at the domestic meet after switching nationalities to represent their father's home country, having skated for Hungary at two Winter Games (Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022)

The warm reception from the crowd at the Capital Indoor Stadium, though, showed that they are more than welcome.

"It was really nice to finally race at home," Liu Shaolin, the elder brother, said after clocking 1 minute and 26.189 seconds to finish runner-up in the men's 1,000m final A at the championships on Sunday.

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His younger brother, Shaoang, won the 1,000m final in 1:26.082, after Shaolin put on a flying semifinal sprint in 1:22.490 to break Han Tianyu's four-year-old national record by 0.04 seconds.

Representing Tianjin, their father's home city close to Beijing, at the championships, the Liu brothers drew rousing cheers from over 4,000 fans whenever they raced at the iconic venue, which hosted Beijing 2022's short-track and figure skating events.

"We came back to Tianjin almost every year. My father came from here, so it was really exciting to represent our home team," said Shaolin, who also won a bronze in the 500m on Saturday.

"A lot of fans showed up, supporting us with great enthusiasm. I really appreciate their support."

Liu Shaoang (left) and Liu Shaolin Sandor participate in a welcoming ceremony after they returned from Beijing Olympic Winter Games in Budapest, Hungary on Feb 18, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Strong backing

The arrival of the Liu brothers has sparked fresh debate on drafting foreign-born talents with Chinese ancestry to bolster the country's medal ambitions.

Zhang Jing, the Liu brothers' former mentor in Hungary and the current Chinese national team head coach, has backed the recruitment policy, citing a positive influence on pushing the younger generation forward.

Representing Tianjin, their father's home city close to Beijing, at the championships, the Liu brothers drew rousing cheers from over 4,000 fans whenever they raced at the iconic venue, which hosted Beijing 2022's short-track and figure skating events

"Their stature as role models is already having an impact," Zhang said. "Their high standards in daily training, their discipline, their attention to detail … all have rung a bell for our youngsters, who look up to them and consequently try to treat their careers more professionally as well," said Zhang, who returned to China to take over her home country's program in August.

Zhang, known as Lina in Hungary, guided the Liu brothers to international stardom in the sport during her 10-year tenure as head coach of the Hungarian national team.

Off the track, Zhang has built a strong emotional bond with the brothers' family since she first met them in 2007 in her home city Changchun, Jilin province — a hotbed of winter sports where their dad took them to train.

ALSO READ: Skating: Hungary agrees to Liu brothers' change of country

The Liu brothers, who won Hungary's first Winter Olympic gold medal in men's 5,000m relay at the 2018 Games, said in their naturalization application that they had decided to move to China because they wanted to continue working with Zhang.

Liu Shaoang (left) and Liu Shaolin posed with their certificates of naturalization in Tianjin on March 25, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

At a board meeting at the end of last year, the Hungarian skating association approved the brothers' request and waived its claim for compensation from them to cover its investment in their development.

Tianjin's municipal winter sports governing body confirmed on March 25 that the brothers had completed all the paperwork to officially register as residents in the city and would skate at the national championships.

Although having missed out on systematic training for almost a year since Beijing 2022, the brothers still outraced most of China's current national team skaters in strategy and finesse, underlined by their effortless overtaking and consistent final appearances in multiple events at the championships

"People might have different perspectives that suit themselves, but for the brothers they decided to come over genuinely for the opportunity to keep pushing for more athletic achievements at the highest level," said Zhang.

"Their goals remain topping podiums and they will win more medals for China in the future."

Although having missed out on systematic training for almost a year since Beijing 2022, the brothers still outraced most of China's current national team skaters in strategy and finesse, underlined by their effortless overtaking and consistent final appearances in multiple events at the championships.

As one of China's star next-gen skaters, men's 500m and 1,500m national winner Sun Long hailed the addition of the brothers as a positive move.

"Homegrown or not, we are all racing on the same track as hard as we can. I am really looking forward to teaming up with them (Liu brothers) and other senior teammates to win more glory for our country at the World Cup series and world championships next season," said the 22-year-old Sun after winning his second gold on Saturday.

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Another naturalized skater, former South Korean Olympic champion Lin Xiaojun, is also at Zhang's disposal. Add reigning 1,000m Olympic gold medalist Ren Ziwei into the mix, and the coach looks poised to build a dominating men's squad for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

"We have everything we need to be successful at the next Olympics. And hopefully, with me and Shaoang we can be the first Chinese Olympic champions in the mixed team relay," Liu Shaolin said of the prospect of winning the first final on the short-track schedule at the 2026 Games.