In the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, the Chinese Ice and Snow Army lost the first gold medal in history, and 5 silver medals became a regret in the hearts of many people. Entering the first Winter Olympics of the 21st century, to Salt Lake City in 2002, the Chinese Ice and Snow Army is facing unprecedented pressure, and the "zero breakthrough" of the Winter Olympic gold medal has once again become the focus of the country.
As always, this heavy burden first fell on the short track speed skaters, and Yang Yang, who had won the all-around championship six times at the World Championships at that time, was naturally regarded as the biggest hope for the first gold of the Chinese Winter Olympics.
In order to achieve a breakthrough of zero gold medals in the Chinese Winter Olympics, in these four years, although Yang Yang has been invincible in the world arena, she has never slackened off, and for flawed details such as starting and cornering, Yang Yang has demanded herself to break through day after day, and also pushed her endurance advantage to the limit.
At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Yang Yang competed in the short track speed skating women's 500m, 1000m and 1500m individual events, and the first to play was the 1500m final, which was one of her absolute advantages.
In the women's 1500m final, Yang Yang also played with her teammate Xiao Yangyang, and in the case of double insurance, Yang Yang, as a sister, naturally carried more pressure. However, this game is not destined to be smooth, Xiao Yangyang suddenly fell to the ground in the middle of the game, leaving Yang Yang alone to fight. At this time, under the pressure of doubling, Yang Yang's heart was shaken, and compared with the one who had bravely moved forward in the past, she seemed to have lost the confidence to fight to the end, and lost the gold medal in the last few laps without adding speed.
The "most stable" gold medal flew! Failing to live up to national expectations, the Chinese short track speed skating team was once lost in the storm, and Yang Yang became the one who was "blamed" by coaches and teammates. Fortunately, Yang Yang, who has experienced many world competitions, quickly adjusted her state, she cut her hair and nails, got rid of all the psychological pressure, turned all the voices of accusation into motivation, and welcomed the 500-meter final with a new state.
As soon as the starting gun sounded, Yang Yang grabbed the first place like an arrow off the string, taking the lead in the women's 500m final. Time flies fast, and the world record holder Radanova behind her closely follows, at this time Yang Yang has already left all the pressure behind, and in her eyes, she only has the goal of crossing the finish line. 44 seconds 187! Yang Yang took the lead in crossing the line! The audience cheered! She did it! The Chinese Ice and Snow Army finally won the first Winter Olympic gold medal! The five-star red flag was raised for the first time in the highest position, and Yang Yang, who stood on the podium, was full of tears, and she knew very well that behind this heavy gold medal, there was not only her own unremitting efforts, but also the dreams of generations of the Chinese Ice and Snow Legion. Now, the dream has finally come true.
Breaking the magic barrier, Salt Lake City suddenly became Yang Yang's "home", in the women's 1000 meters final that followed, she once again defeated a number of opponents to win the gold medal, and helped the Chinese team add another silver in the women's 3000 meters relay final, which drew a successful end to the Winter Olympic trip.
Yang Yang's gold medal in the women's 500 meters officially opened the prelude to China's short track speed skating shining in the Winter Olympic Games, after that, the short track speed skating team became China's first gold point in the Winter Olympics, and the rise of Wang Mao, Zhou Yang, Li Jianrou, Wu Dajing and other famous players inherited China's ice and snow power in the Winter Olympics.