China's former short track speed skating coach Xin Qingshan may no longer be working with the national team, but results at the sixth Asian Winter Games in Changchun prove he is still an influential figure.

Xin now coaches Jilin's provincial team, a hotbed of skating talent, and on Tuesday his star pupil Hu Ze shot into the public eye after winning gold in the men's 500m race, albeit after South Korea's triple Olympic champion Ahn Hyun-soo was disqualified after crossing the line first.

Hu, 22, is not the only one of Xin's skaters to have performed well this winter, as his skaters claimed three medals at the World Junior Championships last month.

Xin is happy with the new direction of his coaching career as it allows him time to work with young talent.

"Although I've left the national team, I still work for China's short track speed skating," said the 46-year-old. "I'm very happy to help these young athletes."

As national short track speed skating head coach for almost 20 years, Xin became known to most Chinese sports fans when his protegee Yang Yang smashed China's Winter Olympic jinx with a gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Other skaters coached by Xin include Li Jinyan, the first Chinese to break a world record, Guo Ruhong, the first Chinese woman to become a winter sports world champion, and Li Yan, who won China a gold medal when the sport was still an exhibition event at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and is now head coach of the Chinese team.

After last year's Turin Winter Games, where young skater Wang Meng won gold in the women's 500m race, Xin returned to Jilin's provincial team after a reshuffle of the national coaching set-up.

"Being back with the local team, I have no heavy pressure like in the national team and I can train these young skaters step-by-step, which make me feel comfortable as well," said Xin. "Returning to the local team after years at the national level, I can learn more about the situation at the local level, which may help me a lot in my coaching."

Despite no longer having day-to-day involvement, Xin still pays close attention to the national team's fortunes.

"At present, the gap between the Chinese skaters and the South Koreans is obvious," said Xin. "The difference between them is like the difference between a carriage and a car. So the officials have to find out the real problem that exists in the sport in China."

Discussing the recent disputes between star athlete Wang Meng and new coach Li Yan, Xin said they both needed to calm down and be patient.

"I have heard that some skaters in the national team are not accustomed to Li's coaching style, but the time for them to cooperate is still short, so it's normal," said Xin.

"The aim of the coach is to help the team achieve good results. She has some new ideas about the team and she wants to bring new things to the Chinese team, which may be a little bit hard for the skaters to accept. They still need more time. Wang Meng is still the key member of the national team. The Chinese team can't afford to lose her."

The dispute between Wang and Li broke out on Monday after the women's 1,500m race, in which Wang finished a disappointing third.

Wang threatened to quit the team, saying "the national team is not suitable for me."

(China Daily February 1, 2007)