Walking off the field, Chinese female ice goalkeeper Zhou Jiaying took off her helmet and was already in tears. In the group match with Denmark on the 4th, the team reversed the "deadly" opponent with two goals in the last 50 seconds and won a key victory. Despite having different faces from the local players, the Chinese naturalized players on the team were equally excited. "I am very proud to represent China at the Winter Olympics." Zhou Jiaying said.
Zhou Jiaying's "Chinese style" helmet. Image source: Zhou Jiaying Weibo
"Returning to China is like coming home"
In the past few days, Zhou Jiaying's protective gear has been "on fire" on the Internet, the Great Wall on the leg guard, the dragon on the helmet, and the rich Chinese elements have attracted countless netizens to like. "This design is to show the world Chinese culture and let the world see how strong our country is." The 26-year-old Chinese-Canadian mixed-race girl said.
Zhou Jiaying has played since childhood, and was selected for the Canadian Youth Team in the 2012-2013 season, participating in the U18 World Championships as the youngest member of the team. In the "Pinnacle Showdown" with the United States, she conceded only one goal on 40 effective shots against her opponents, helping the team win 2-1 in overtime. Subsequently, she "jumped" into Princeton University, started in the NCAA (National College Sports Association) League for four consecutive years, and still holds a number of varsity records such as average goals conceded per game, number of wins, and save rate. In 2013, she was also selected for the Canadian National Training Team in preparation for the Sochi Winter Olympics.
In 2016, 20-year-old Zhou Jiaying successfully graduated and became a fund analyst. Just a year later, however, she gave up her high-paying job on Wall Street to pick up clubs. Originally, in preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Chinese ice hockey formed a professional club and widely distributed "hero posts", welcoming Chinese players back to china with open arms. Zhou Jiaying gladly signed up, and after several seasons of training, he was finally shortlisted for the Winter Olympic squad.
Zhou Jiaying's mother is from Hangzhou, and her grandparents' home is still in Hangzhou. She has been studying Chinese since college and is now able to communicate well with her teammates and her family in China. "Although I didn't grow up in China, it feels like coming home when I'm back in China." Zhou Jiaying is optimistic about the future of Chinese women's ice and hopes to contribute to it, "I hope that I can play through the game, and tell those little girls who like ice hockey that as long as they work hard for revenge, they can also stand on the Winter Olympic field in the future." ”
Naughty Lin Qiqi. Image source: Kunlun Hongxing Club
"The whole family will be proud of me"
To say that the biggest contributor to the victory of this battle is none other than vice captain Lin Qiqi. With one goal and two assists, the 25-year-old striker delivered on his promise to "help the team succeed in the Winter Olympics" with his outstanding performances.
Lin Qiqi was born in Canada, and her great-grandparents were Chinese. During her college years, she represented the University of Connecticut in the NCAA and was a star player in the league. In May 2018, Lin Qiqi, who had just graduated from university, came to Shenzhen and participated in the Olympic training camp of Kunlun Hongxing Club, and then joined the team and became a professional player. In the four years she played with the team, Lin Qiqi made great progress and was selected for the All-Star Game lineup of the Russian Women's Ice Hockey League (WHL).
"My biggest goal during this journey is to represent China at the Winter Olympics, and that will be the most special memory of my life." During the preparations, Lin Qiqi once said, "I will feel very honored, this is where my bloodline lies." My whole family will be proud of this, including my grandfather, grandfather, grandmother and other relatives who have passed away, and they will also be proud of me and cheer for us. ”
Today, Lin Qiqi appears in the Winter Olympics as a vice captain and helps the team achieve an exciting victory. She is honored for this, and at the same time has a heavy responsibility on her shoulders, "I hope to help the team to achieve more victories." ”
Wang Yuting (left) and Zhou Jiaying in the match. Image source: Wang Yuting Weibo
"China has changed dramatically"
The heroes who scored an equaliser for the Chinese team, in addition to the captain Yu Baiwei who shot first and Lin Qiqi, who completed the score, there was also the core defender Wang Yuting who launched the attack. The 30-year-old is a member of the World Hockey Hall of Fame and is affectionately known by fans as "King Bomb".
Born in Canada, Wang Yuting represented Canadians at the U18 World Championships in 2009, scoring 13 points in five games, making her the most scoring defender in that tournament. During her representation at the NCAA at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, a major hockey school, Wang Yuting helped the team win the National Championship. After graduation, she also competed in the Canadian Women's Hockey League.
In the 2017-2018 season, Kunlun Hongxing, China's first professional women's ice hockey team, was established, and Wang Yuting was recruited. In fact, at that time, Wang Yuting had many choices, but when she learned that Kunlun Hongxing's mission was to revive Chinese women's ice hockey, she did not hesitate to choose to help her. In Wang Yuting's eyes, wearing the Chinese team's battle robe to compete is the inheritance of the family bloodline and a very sacred mission. She quickly integrated into the team and became a key figure in the team.
In May 2018, when the Chinese women's ice team won the "express ticket" for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wang Yuting was excited: "Participating in the Winter Olympics has always been my dream, especially to represent the Chinese team. My grandmother is from Guangdong, and she often tells me stories about her youth, and the small village she remembers is still very backward. But when I came to Shenzhen, I found that China has changed dramatically. China's ice hockey is the same, I believe the future will be better and better. ”