Liu Shaoang

Famous relatives

His older brother Sandor Liu Shaolin previously represented Hungary in short track, and was part of the team that won gold in the 5000m relay at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. He also won bronze in the 2000m mixed relay at the 2022 Games in Beijing, before switching to represent People's Republic of China in 2023. (hungarytoday.hu, 14 Feb 2022; SportsDeskOnline, 27 Oct 2022; utanpotlassport.hu, 10 Mar 2014)

When and where did you begin this sport?

He began skating in 2005 in Budapest, Hungary.

Other information

REPRESENTING CHINA He began representing the People's Republic of China in mid-2023, having previously represented Hungary. He was originally born in Budapest, Hungary, to a Chinese father and a Hungarian mother. "My physique, my physical power is Hungarian and my speed is Chinese. I have both parts." (OIS, 07 Feb 2018; blikk.hu, 08 Mar 2013; ISU, 12 Oct 2023) BROTHER He says training and competing with his older brother Sandor Liu Shaolin is a source of motivation. Shaoang finished second while his brother placed first in the 1000m at the 2021 World Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands. "We live together, we do everything together. We wake up together, we eat together, we go out together, we go to training together, we come to races together. When we skate, the first and the most important thing is to cover each other. We get a lot of motivation from each other. I always will think he's the better skater, so I'm always looking up to him. Sometimes I get the better result, but it's not because he's a bad skater. Maybe he's just tired or something. We are different though. I don't talk too much. He is more social, he talks for me when I don't really want to." (olympics.com, 21 Oct 2021; hungarytoday.hu, 08 Mar 2021; OIS, 07 Feb 2018; isu.org, 05 Jan 2018) EARLY DAYS His father arranged for him and his brother Sandor Liu Shaolin to train in the People's Republic of China when the pair were still boys. "I was maybe eight years old, and it was super weird to go to another country where you don't know the culture and you don't know the people. It was a totally different place for me. For six months our parents stayed with us but then they left for Hungary to work. There was a woman looking after us but it was not the same. You realise that your parents have sacrificed everything for you. It was a life-changing moment and we knew we had to take it seriously." (olympics.com, 21 Oct 2021; redbull.com, 06 Jul 2021; dailynewshungary.com, 08 Dec 2019; Trans World Sport YouTube channel, 02 Nov 2019)

www.facebook.com/shaoangliu/

Memorable sporting achievement

Winning gold in the 5000m relay at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019)

Reason for choosing this sport

"My parents always wanted me to be healthy and fit."

Most influential person in career	Short track skater [and his brother] Sandor Liu Shaolin, his family, and coach Zhang Jing. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019; Instagram profile, 08 Aug 2022)
Nicknames	Ado (hvg.hu, 12 Apr 2016)
Injuries	He sustained a minor back injury in January 2020 that affected him for two weeks. (ftasport.com, 27 Jan 2020) He broke three bones in his left hand after falling at the 2019 World Cup event in Dresden, Germany. Six screws were inserted in his hand to fix the injury. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019; isu.org, 02 Feb 2019) He broke his left collarbone in 2012. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2018)
Hero / Idol	Short track skater [and his brother] Sandor Liu Shaolin. (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019)
Hobbies	Playing computer games, going to the cinema, travelling. (Skating ISU YouTube channel, 31 May 2021; sportmenu.hu, 13 Mar 2020; isu.org, 05 Jan 2018)

twitter.com/shaoangliu

Sporting philosophy / motto	"Tomorrow will be better." (Athlete, 05 Dec 2019)
Milestones	Before representing the People's Republic of China, he was part of the men's 5000m relay team that won Hungary's first gold medal in any sport at the Olympic Winter Games by claiming victory at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. At the 2022 Games in Beijing, he became the first athlete representing Hungary to win gold in an individual event at the Olympic Winter Games after taking the 500m title. He claimed an additional two medals [bronze in 200m mixed relay and bronze in men's 1000m] in Beijing to take his tally to four total medals at the Olympic Winter Games, more than any other Hungarian athlete. (OIS, 22 Feb 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 27 Oct 2022; hungarytoday.hu, 14 Feb 2022)