Weng Yangning in the competition. [Photo/Yongpai App]

China has unveiled its athlete roster for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, with 19‑year‑old Ningbo native Weng Yangning earning a place on the national ski jumping team.

Born in 2006, Weng began her sporting journey in sanda and later boxing, which instilled her with not only physical strength and balance, but also mental resilience — qualities that would prove invaluable when she made a bold switch to ski jumping in 2019.

Selected from among more than 100 multi‑talented athletes, she joined the newly established national youth training squad and began tackling one of winter sport's most demanding events.

Through year‑round training that included summer conditioning and winter competitions in Europe, as well as the support of coaches and teammates, Weng advanced from 15‑meter jumps to the full 150‑meter hill.

In 2023, she captured national titles in both the women's normal hill and mixed team events. She later represented China at the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, becoming Zhejiang's first ski jumper at the Games, and went on to win the women's normal hill gold at the 14th National Winter Games.

Now bound for the Olympic stage, Weng describes her selection as "unbelievably exciting". Ski jumping events at the 2026 Winter Olympics will run from Feb 5 to 16, where she will compete among the world's best.