Winter Olympics: Where might China's medals come from at Beijing 2022?

Jeff Pain had no doubt about his brief when he became China's skeleton coach seven years ago: «We're hiring you because we want to win a gold medal,» he was told.

When you consider the Beijing 2022 hosts had at the time never competed at an Olympics in this sport, the statement was more than a little ambitious.

But now, a week before the Games start, it may not necessarily be unrealistic.

While China are not expecting the dizzying successes of their 2008 Beijing summer Olympics, where they topped the medal table with 48 golds and a total of 100 medals, they have once again invested heavily to develop athletes across the full range of sports.

After setting a target of getting 300 million people participating in winter sports in the country, hiring foreign coaches and operating a strong talent identification programme, they have been tipped by analysts to improve on their best showing of 11 medals, including five gold, from Vancouver in 2010.

It seems the Chinese medal machine is about to deliver once again — so, what can we expect and how did they get there?

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu — or Gu Ailing as the 18-year-old is known in China — is set to be the face of her home Games and with good reason.

She is the world champion in halfpipe and slopestyle and also has a medal chance in big air.

The American-born teenager, who began representing China in 2019 after switching to her mother's nationality, has also shown her commercial potential by modelling for high-profile brands and her intelligence with a place at Stanford University.

In their virtual medal table, data analysts Nielsen Gracenote predict she will win two golds and a bronze with China picking up a record 13 medals in total, including six golds.

«The projected medals are