On February 4, Beijing time, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, short-track speed skater Zhou Yang became the infield torchbearer, and at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, Zhou Yang had long hair and was gentle and moving. However, for Zhou Yang, she once won the women's 1500 meters of short track speed skating!
As the first person in China to speed skate in short track and long distance, Zhou Yang has left countless classic moments at the Winter Olympics, she has won 3 gold medals in short track speed skating for the Chinese delegation, and has shown her dominance in long distance events. So, now let's pick up the story of Zhou Yang!
Vancouver Winter Olympics, up to the occasion!
Born in Changchun, Jilin in 1991, Zhou Yang began practicing short track speed skating at the age of 8, Zhou Yang grew up fast, and in 2006, at the age of 15, she won gold at the World Junior Championships and joined the national team in the same year. In the second half of 2009, Zhou Yang entered the Winter Olympics list as he wished, and then, at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Zhou Yang created an era of his own.
In the women's 1500m race on February 20, 2010, the 19-year-old Zhou Yang turned out to win gold with a new Olympic record of 2 minutes 16.693 seconds, which was also China's first gold medal in the short track speed skating women's 1500 meters. Subsequently, Zhou Yang's miracle did not stop, she in the women's 3000 meters relay, Zhou Yang and his teammates broke the world record with a time of 4 minutes 06 seconds 610 seconds, won the championship.
It is undeniable that Zhou Yang became the biggest winner of the Chinese delegation at that Winter Olympics except Wang Meng. However, if you look back at Zhou Yang's vancouver victory road, there are many variables. In the semi-finals of the 1500-meter event, Wang Meng was unexpectedly convicted of a foul and Sun Linlin was eliminated, and the Chinese legion, which was originally very strong in this project, left only Zhou Yang alone to advance to the final.
She faced the group battle of three South Korean players, as well as the European and American celebrities who were eyeing the tiger, this time, Zhou Yang did not disappoint the audience! At the beginning of the game, Zhou Yang quickly grabbed the first position, and he was in the leading team in the first few laps.
However, the accident appeared when there were still 6 laps left in the race, and the American Ruttle tried to overtake in the corner, collided with Zhou Yang, and then Zhou Yang was knocked into the outer lane and suddenly fell to 5th place. At this time, three South Korean players formed an iron wall to prevent Zhou Yang from overtaking.
However, nothing could stop Zhou Yang's determination to win the championship. Next, she slid faster and faster like crazy, no experts worried about "speed down", no fatigue expected by the opponent, has been firmly suppressing the opponent, holding the first position, and finally Zhou Yang crossed the finish line with an Olympic record-breaking result and miraculously won the championship. In this way, Zhou Yang broke the monopoly of Korean players in this project! This is the earth-shattering reversal that belongs to Zhou Yang!
Sochi Winter Olympics, the king is back!
If before Vancouver, Zhou Yang was too smooth, then the four years from Vancouver to Sochi were exceptionally bumpy for her, she not only had to bear the glory brought by the Vancouver Winter Olympics, at the same time, Zhou Yang also encountered a series of short track speed skating team time, Zhou Yang fell to the bottom in an instant and even withdrew from the national team at one point.
Later, Zhou Yang's former coach Bole Wang Huijun did psychological counseling for her, and after two years of suffering, Zhou Yang's state finally returned to the peak. In October 2012, Zhou Yang won the women's 1500m competition in the fourth leg of the National Short Track Speed Skating League.
However, this time, the 23-year-old Zhou Yang was not optimistic, after all, in the multiple World Cup races, Zhou Yang was not able to win a medal, and many people believed that Zhou Yang was not the opponent of south Korean talented girl Shen Shixi.
However, miracles still happen! In the final of the women's 1500m, the Chinese team took double insurance. Unfortunately, Li Jianrou accidentally fell, and at this time, the Chinese team once again fell into the situation of 4 years ago, and Zhou Yang once again fought alone.
This time, Zhou Yang did not disappoint everyone, and in the penultimate lap, she took advantage of a small gap to suddenly accelerate the insertion, beautifully achieved overtaking, and maintained the advantage of crossing the finish line first.
In the arena of Sochi, Zhou Yang fulfilled his wish to return the king!
The elders of the Three Dynasties spilled tears on Pyeongchang, regretting the curtain!
After the Sochi Winter Olympics, Zhou Yang went to the United States for rehabilitation treatment, and within two years, Zhou Yang did not participate in any competitions. Her second return to the national team was in May 2017, less than a year before the opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, when she finished 11th at the beginning of the season. However, Zhou Yang did not give up her winter Olympic dream, and she got the ticket to the Winter Olympics for the third time with hard training.
In recognition of Zhou Yang's achievements, she became the standard-bearer of the Chinese delegation. In this regard, Zhou Yang said: "I am very happy, incomparably glorious! ”
In the women's 1500 meters, Zhou Yang entered the final of Group B with the third place in the group, and finally won the eighth place. However, in this project, in 2001, the youngster Li Jinyu won the silver medal. However, unfortunately, in the women's 3000-meter relay event, Zhou Yang led the Chinese team to rush to the final with a new record, in the final, the Chinese women's team performed extremely well, and the second crossed the finish line, in the slow motion back, the referee made a blow penalty, canceled the Chinese team's competition qualifications, for the penalty standard, Zhou Yang said it was difficult to accept.
After the game, Zhou Yang cried in front of the camera and said: "Before my comeback, I did not participate in international competitions for two years, I worked hard every day, although I had physical injuries, but the encouragement of my teammates, coaches and family members helped me return to the Olympic arena." This may be my last Olympics, and who knows in four years' time? I am very difficult to accept such a result, although I was convicted of a foul, but the Chinese team is the best! ”
After the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, as Zhou Yang grew older, she also switched to speed skating, but in the end, Zhou Yang chose to retire. Today, she has founded her own skating club, in addition to which she is also a member of the Athletes Committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee and a member of the Athletes Committee of the International Skating Federation.
Today, Zhou Yang also has a new identity, that is, to become a torchbearer in the Beijing Winter Olympics!
In this Winter Olympics, the Chinese short track speed skating team will line up the strongest lineup, compete in full quota, inherit the glorious achievements of their predecessors at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and launch an attack on the gold medal. I wish The Chinese short track speed skaters another brilliant achievement!