"I think my play is quite normal, mainly because there is a gap (with the world's leading players)." After the game, in the mixed interview area, Han Mei said so. In the women's 3000m final of speed skating at the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon" on the afternoon of February 5, she and Ahnal Adak finished 15th and 17th respectively.
Adak has been ahead of veteran Peschstein in the game. Beijing Daily client reporter Deng Wei photographed
Of the two Chinese players, Adak took the lead, making her debut in Group 1, alongside veteran Claudia Ahmed, who played for the 8th Winter Olympics. Together, Peschstein became the first pair of athletes in the history of the "Ice Ribbon" venue to appear at the Winter Olympics. As a result, the 22-year-old Adak slid out of 4:12.28 to beat Peschstein by a large margin. Han Mei, who debuted in the 7th group, also defeated the opponent of the same group, the Belarusian zueva, it is worth mentioning that the two were very close in the final sprint stage, facing the opponent who was chasing closely, Han Mei gritted his teeth and insisted and finally crossed the line in advance, with a score of 4 minutes 07 seconds 74.
Han Mei in the game. Beijing Daily client reporter Deng Wei photographed
In fact, Han Mei and Adak both achieved self-improvement in the "Ice Ribbon". Of the four World Cup races this season, only the first leg in Poland was the women's 3000m race in the plains, when Han Mei and Adak competed in Group B with a time of 4:09.453 and 4:14.266, respectively.
For the improvement of performance, Han Mei attributed part of the reason to the ice surface of the "ice ribbon", "When I participated in the World Cup competition abroad before, many players also asked me about the 'ice ribbon', and I felt that this was the undisputed 'fastest ice'. Han Mei, who participated in the Winter Olympics for the second time, told reporters that compared with 4 years ago in Pyeongchang, the Beijing Winter Olympics will have a feeling of "going home to compete", and she laughed and said: "The biggest difference is that 'my family is my master'. According to the arrangement, Han Mei will also participate in the 1500 meters, 5000 meters and team chase competitions, which is definitely the "busiest" Chinese player on the speed skating field, talking about the expectations for the future competition, she said: "It is to do every step of ourselves down-to-earth, our key project is still the women's team chase." ”
Adak, who participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time, was a little shy, and the girl who only changed from short track speed skating to speed skating in 2018 expressed her admiration for her opponent Peschstein in the same group to the Beijing Daily client reporter, "She is a player I admire very much, the first group is that we both compete together, and her spirit also inspires me." Together, the first group of competitions (with a large age gap) felt particularly different. According to the newly released registration information, Adak will fight with Han Mei again on the afternoon of February 7 to participate in the 1500-meter final, "I hope that everyone will pay more attention to our competition and pay attention to Chinese speed skaters." ”