China's 15-year-old skier wins first-ever World Cup title

CHONGLI, China, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese teenage skier Zhang Kexin won her first World Cup title at Chongli, China's Hebei province on Friday at the superpipe venue of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

The 15-year-old Zhang, who finished third at the Copper Mountain World Cup of the United States earlier this month, became the first Chinese to win a freeski halfpipe World Cup by scoring 88.80 points in her first run of three.

Japan's Yurie Watabe and Russia's Valeriya Demidova took the silver and bronze medals respectively.

"I am very very excited to stand on the podium and be the winner," said the Chinese girl, who could not hold her tears at the press conference.

Zhang was among the young Chinese national team, which was set up last April with an average age of 15. Mainly eyeing on the 2022 Beijing Games, Zhang said she has been looking forward to her Olympic debut in the PyeongChang Games in February, 2018.

In the men's competition, French skier Thomas Krief earned 90.00 points in the second round to grab the gold medal, beating Swiss duo Joel Gisler and Robin Briguet to the second and third. Enditem