Yan Wengang wins bronze in men’s skeleton, China’s first medal in a sliding sport.

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. A representative of the host country collected gold at the previous three Olympics in men’s skeleton before Grotheer interrupted the streak by securing Germany’s first gold medal in the event.

It is a feat for China to medal in a sport largely dominated by Europeans.

Chinese athletes had the opportunity for endless training runs to familiarize themselves with the track at the Yanqing National Sliding Center while the country was essentially shut off from the world. Learning the nuances of a track is key when steering a sled headfirst at speeds of 80 miles per hour. Yun Sungbin of South Korea, for example, finished 12th in Beijing after winning gold in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Grotheer and Jungk’s one-two finish continued Germany’s run of gold in Beijing. The country previously won gold in all four of the luge disciplines.