At the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games, China collected its first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal in a snow event by freestyle aerials jumper Han Xiaopeng.

Having improved a great deal since then, the Chinese freestyle-skiing aerials team expects to repeat its glory at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

"We have collected a gold and a silver in freestyle aerials at Turin and we hope to have better performances in Vancouver," said Ren Hongguo, deputy president of the Chinese Skiing Association.

"Han's gold medal in the men's aerials was a great breakthrough. We were also very happy to see Han and Li Nina dominate the aerials titles at the World Championships for the first time in history this year," Ren added. "So I think we can be optimistic of our chances in Vancouver."

At the 2007 World Championships earlier this year, Han and Li claimed gold medals in men's and women's events, respectively, which turned China into one of the sport's dominating forces.

But Han and Li aren't the only ones boosting China's status - a group of young skiers also gives Ren cause for confidence.

"It's good news for us that there are more and more Chinese jumpers that have the ability to make the top class," he said. "We will try our best to have as many jumpers as possible make the final (at the Olympics). If we can do that, we will have a much better chance for the gold medals."

China's women's team has been a strong contender for victory since 1998 when Xu Nannan won the silver in the women's aerials, China's first Olympic medal on snow.

Li became China's next women's world champion in 2005 and went on to claim silver in Turin. Li's young teammates - Guo Xinxin, Wang Jiao and Dai Shuangfei - are currently practicing at the world's top difficulty levels and consistently finish atop the rankings in international competitions.

The strength of China's team has also drawn the attention of top foreign skiers.

"I'm worried. They are very good. China has an amazing team," said Jacqui Cooper of Australia, a former women's world champion.

But Ren pointed out that the youngsters still must improve their stability.

"Those young skiers who can do the jumps from highest kickers are not very stable in their performance," he said. "If they want to achieve good results at the Olympics, they still have to work harder."

On the men's side, Han has become the team's leader with the retirement of veteran Qiu Sen. The men also boast some strong young skiers with winning potential, but they lack experience.

But Ren stressed that aerials is an unpredictable sport that is full of uncertainties.

"We can't take anything for granted, we can't guarantee anything," Ren said. "It's an outdoor sport, and anything could happen."