The Liu brothers – Shaolin Sandor and Shaoang – have changed the face of winter sport in their homeland. Hungary is a powerhouse in summer sports such as canoeing, fencing and swimming but, until the Lius came along, had never won a winter Olympic gold medal.
Shaoang Liu (HUN) and Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
That all changed at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, where the duo formed half of the team that stormed to the Men’s 5000m Relay title. The team became national heroes – especially the charismatic siblings – and Short Track Speed Skating became the country’s new favorite winter event.
So, when the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2020 came to Debrecen, it felt like a celebration and a homecoming for Hungary’s skaters. The Lius didn’t disappoint.
Shaoang, at 22 the younger of the two, won the overall ISU European Short Track Speed Skating title, with 77 points, just two more than his brother. Both were way ahead of Russia’s Semen Elistratov in third, with 65 points.
Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) and Shaoang Liu (HUN) at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
Shaoang got gold in the 1500m and silver in the 500m and 1000m. Shaolin, who’s 24, triumphed in both the 500m and 1000m. And the pair, as ever, were perfect teammates during races.
Shaoang Liu (HUN), Samen Elistratov (RUS) and Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2020©International Skating Union (ISU)
“On 1000m we are very good, ‘Ado’ [Shaoang] and I,” Shaolin Sandor said afterwards. “We can help each other so that I go in the first place and Ado follows me.
“With these tactics, we can easily be in the top. In the final, we had the same tactics, so it was kind of easy for us to dominate the others.”
Shaoang Liu (HUN) and Shaolin Sandor Liu (HUN) at the ISU European Short Track Speed Skating Championships 2019©International Skating Union (ISU)
The brothers were seen playing rock, paper, scissors between the races at Fonix Arena, but insisted that they weren’t using the game as a way of deciding who will cross the line first.
“Shaoang is better than me at it so he usually wins,” Shaolin Sandor said with a laugh.
"We didn’t do a rock, paper, scissors before the race to decide who is going to win. We just try to go out and race everyone for themselves and watch out for each other but it turned out well, so we are happy.”
So were the crowds. They came out in force to cheer their heroes – who were no doubt inspiring a new generation of Short Track wannabes.
“What the Hungarians did was amazing,” Shaoang said. “The most memorable distance was the 1500m because when I crossed the line I felt like the whole arena would explode. I feel speechless.”
