Shanghai contestants strike gold at 2022 WorldSkills Competition
The Chinese delegation at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition in Austria.
Chinese competitors won six gold medals and one bronze in the final seven skills contests at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, on Sunday in Austria.
The WorldSkills Competition 2022, which should have taken place in Shanghai on October 12-17, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a special edition was launched, with 62 skills competitions, in 15 countries and regions around the world from September to November.
A total of 36 Chinese competitors registered for 34 skills competitions held in Switzerland, Germany, France, Finland, South Korea, Japan and Austria.
In total, China won 21 gold medals, topping all other participating countries and regions, along with three silvers, four bronzes and five medallions for excellence.
Austria was the final stop of the special-edition competition, featuring 100 competitors from 37 countries and regions competing in Salzburg in bricklaying, chemical laboratory technology, concrete construction work, electrical installations, freight forwarding, heavy vehicle technology and industrial control.
China won a bronze prize in concrete construction work, and golds in the rest of the skill categories.
Among them, Shanghai contestant Zhu Ke won a gold medal in freight forwarding, one of the four "English Only" programs in the competition, which means competitors could only communicate in English on their own, instead of with help from interpreters as competitors in other skills do.
Freight forwarding is a specialist skill organizing shipments of raw supplies or finished goods from the supplier or manufacturer to the point of distribution or final market place. It poses high demand on competitors not only for language skills, but also organizing capability and ability to handle emergencies and coordinate resources.
Zhu, a sophomore student at Shanghai Polytechnic University, was trained by Shanghai International Port (Group) Co and became China's first competitor to win a gold medal in freight forwarding.
In total, Shanghai had six competitors at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, and brought back three gold medals in joinery, print media and technology, and freight forwarding, and two bronze medals in graphic design technology, and health and social care. They also received a medallion for excellence in floristry.
It's a historic high achievement for the city. At the 45th edition of the competition in 2019, Shanghai competitors won two golds, one silver and three medallions for excellence.
Zhu Ke (right), a sophomore student at Shanghai Polytechnic University, won a gold medal in freight forwarding at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition.
