Cyclists compete in the track finals at the 2nd National Youth Games at Shanxi Sports Center in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. [Photo/sxrb.com] 

The five-day track cycling program at the 2nd National Youth Games concluded in Shanxi Sports Center in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, Aug 10. 

More than 300 athletes participated in the finals with 26 gold medals on offer. 

After the finals, quite a few team leaders and coaches said that the teams continued their strong performances in short-distance events but needed to strengthen their training in medium and long-distance events from the perspective of the sport's long-term development in China.

There is a good foundation for short-distance track cycling in China and the country even won gold in those events at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Li Jintao, leader of the Beijing team, said that the 2nd National Youth Games produced talented reserves for the coming Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris. 

To keep the advantage and explore more Chinese talents and professionals in short-distance track cycling events, the 2nd National Youth Games added women's 250-meter in-situ start-up time trials. The high-intensity short-distance race also enhances the competitive atmosphere of short-distance events. 

Despite obvious advantages in short events and time trials, it was obvious at the youth games that China still lacks talents and professionals in long-distance track cycling events, according to Gao Song, a coach of the Liaoning province team. 

"The 2nd National Youth Games is a good platform for selecting young talents and it is foreseeable that winners in the games will become rising stars in the future," said Gao. "However, there is still a long way to go for long-distance track cycling in China."