Chinese female ice three veterans: "Very lucky, 12 years ago I was here, 12 years later I am still here!" ”

Yu Baiwei (right) competes with his opponents during the match.

The moment she stepped on the ice rink, Yu Baiwei's eyes were hot, and the past pictures flashed in her mind like a marquee, and she tried to control her emotions. In the women's ice hockey group stage of the Beijing Winter Olympics on the 3rd, the Chinese team lost 1-3 to the powerful Czech team, and the performance was remarkable. This is also the second time that Chinese women's ice has stepped onto the stage of the Winter Olympics after 12 years after winning the eighth place in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.

Among the team members who participated in this competition, Yu Baiwei, Liu Zhixin and Zhang Mengying were already in the squad at that time, and the rest of the players were all competing in the Olympic Games for the first time.

"This moment means a lot to me." Yu Baiwei said. The 34-year-old defender is not only the oldest player in the Chinese team, but also the only "post-80s" female athlete in the entire Chinese delegation. "It's not easy to get here, both by yourself and by team. Luckily, I was there 12 years ago and I'm still here 12 years later. ”

Yu Baiwei was selected for the national team in 2005 and became captain in 2011. For 17 years, she has accompanied the Chinese female ice through the rise and fall of glory and disgrace, always sticking to the team, even in the most difficult times did not give up. "I feel like I still have a complex, I have a breath." Yu Baiwei said that when he was a small team member, The Chinese women's ice was in a golden age and was the world's strongest team, "For so many years, it was the spirit of the old female ice that supported me." I hope that as an athlete, I will release all my energy on the ice rink and accompany the team back to the top – I believe there will be a day. ”

Now, the strength of the Chinese team is slowly improving, and it finally has the opportunity to return to the main competition of the Winter Olympic Games. On the eve of the opening of the tournament, Yu Baiwei wrote on social media: "After 12 years of waiting, everything is changing, but the original intention has never changed. "After 12 years, she doesn't think that she is cheap and old, she only feels that the burden on her shoulders is heavier," and it is very gratifying to see that everyone is very excited and full of hard work, and the young generals have grown up." ”

Yu Baiwei also played in the Winter Olympics after 12 years, there are 28-year-old striker Zhang Mengying and defender Liu Zhixin. Twelve years ago, they were only 16-year-olds who made their "debut" in an international competition in Vancouver, and Liu Zhixin became the second youngest player in the history of women's ice hockey at the Winter Olympics. At the end of the 2015-2016 season, because there was no hope of a breakthrough, Liu Zhixin once left the team and became a coach. But as Chinese ice hockey embarked on the road to professionalization, in 2017, she returned to the ice rink and improved rapidly in the grinding of professional leagues.

Zhang Mengying failed to play in Vancouver 12 years ago, and now 12 years later, the youngster who sat on the cold bench has become the vice captain. "I'm very excited, 12 years ago I just participated, 12 years later it is already the main force, the responsibility is even greater." Zhang Mengying said, "In the past 12 years, I have also experienced a lot and paid a lot. I am very happy to be able to stand on the Winter Olympic field again in the national team jersey! ”