(Beijing Winter Olympics) Gao Tingyu: The identity of the flag bearer makes me full of strength

Beijing, 30 Jan (Xinhua) -- On 30 January, the Chinese sports delegation announced that speed skater Gao Tingyu and female steel-frame snowmobile zhao dan would serve as the flag bearers of the opening ceremony of the Chinese delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Speed skater Gao Tingyu later said on his personal social media that the identity of the flag bearer makes him more powerful. He said: "It is an honor to be the standard-bearer of the Chinese delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics. Playing at home is an extremely exciting thing, and the identity of the flag bearer makes me more powerful. It's also a role I've always dreamed of. I will certainly live up to this trust and strive to show my best side on the field. ”

This is the second time that Gao Tingyu, who has just turned 24 years old, has participated in the Winter Olympics, and in the last Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the men's 500 meters competition, achieving a breakthrough of zero medals for Chinese men's men's speed skaters in the Winter Olympics.

Gao Tingyu was born on December 15, 1997 in Yichun, Heilongjiang Province, and was selected for the Chinese Speed Skating Team in 2016. He currently holds the national record for speed skating in the men's 500m with a time of 33.83 seconds. This season, Gao Tingyu's form in the World Cup sub-station is stable, and he has slipped within 34 seconds many times.

When talking about the selection of the flag bearer, Ni Huizhong, secretary general of the Chinese delegation, said that Gao Tingyu is participating in the Winter Olympics for the second time, and choosing him as the flag bearer is to hope that everyone can feel the expectations of the delegation and affirm both the efforts of the athletes and their breakthroughs.

At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Gao Tingyu will participate in the men's 500m race in speed skating. The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics will be held on the evening of February 4, and the men's 500 meters of speed skating will be held on February 12 at the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon". (End)