Who was the first torchbearer of the Beijing Winter Olympics? The answer is revealed. He is Luo Zhihuan, the first world champion in winter sports in the mainland. After receiving the torch, the entire audience stood up, and to the sound of music, Luo Zhihuan slowly moved forward. At the moment when Gao Qing "flew" the torch, at the age of 80, he finally realized his dream of the Winter Olympics.
In 1963, Luo Zhihuan won the men's 1500 meters championship at the 57th World Speed Skating Championships in Nagano, Japan, with a good time of 2 minutes 09.20 seconds, and broke the world record, becoming the first Chinese athlete to win the winter sports world championship.
"Like yesterday, it's like it just happened." Recalling the extraordinary experience of winning the championship 59 years ago, the old man is still very emotional. At that time, speed skating had always been the domain of Athletes from the Nordic countries, and no Asian had ever won a championship. Facing the world's top three Nordic runners on the same running line, Luo Zhihuan secretly made up his mind, "Aren't you the top three in the world?" Let's take a look at Bibi. ”
At the moment of walking up the starting line, Luo Zhihuan heard the coach calling out his name, "ZhiHuan, you look down, what's on your chest?" "The competition suit is very simple, it is a sweater woven from velvet thread, but it can be embroidered with the word "China", and the top of the word is the national emblem. Luo Zhihuan did not speak, but he understood the teacher's meaning - to win glory for China and fight for her.
After the starting gun sounded and Luo Zhihuan ran out, an unknown pawn left the world's top three athletes 10 meters behind. According to Luo Zhihuan's own words, "It's not me, it's crazy." In the last 300 meters, Luo Zhihuan, who was too physically exhausted, was gradually chased by his opponents, but at the moment of reaching the finish line, he still won the gold medal with a 0.2 second advantage.
Chinese overcame all kinds of difficulties and won the world championship in an incredible way, causing a lot of shocks. In the voice of many overseas Chinese shouting "Long live China", Luo Zhihuan stood at the top of the podium, very happy, "This gold medal is not easy to get, it is really touching!" ”
Since China was not yet a member of the International Olympic Committee at the time, Luo Zhihuan's athletes missed a valuable opportunity at the golden age of their sports careers and missed the Winter Olympics. For Luo Zhihuan, not being able to participate in the Winter Olympic Games has always been a regret buried in his heart. Now holding the Winter Olympic torch at the doorstep of his home, for Luo Zhihuan, "This is a dream come true moment, a change in spirit and mood." ”
"Can you hold up a torch at your doorstep?" In fact, Luo Zhihuan has been looking forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in this way, passing on the hard work of the older generation of athletes to the next generation - this is also his dream and wish.
Born in 1941, Luo Zhihuan was only 21 years old when he won the championship. At that time, he relied on a fighting spirit and the belief of never forgetting to win glory for the motherland, and overcame various unexpected difficulties to win the gold medal. For the athletes who are about to appear at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Luo Zhihuan also wants to say to them, "Come on! One gold medal is not your goal, three pieces and four pieces are, work hard, work hard. I have faith in you. ”
Source Beijing Daily Client | Reporter Sun Jie Pan Fuda Wu Yibin
Edited by Wang Wenmiao
Process Editor Wu Yue