As the Beijing Games began, one question was whether China would show sudden competitiveness in events where it had little traction or tradition.
The answer, it turns out, was yes.
China placed its first skeleton athlete in the Olympics only four years ago. On Friday, Yan Wengang collected the country’s first medal in a sliding sport by winning bronze with a four-run total time of 4:01.77. He trailed only Christopher Grotheer (4:01.01) and Axel Jungk (4:01.67), both of Germany. Yin Zheng of China nearly joined Yan on the podium with a fifth-place finish.
Host countries generally enjoy a sizable competitive advantage in the sliding sports of luge, skeleton and bobsled.