Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, 5 Feb (Xinhua) -- A roar of wind and thunder moved Wang Shi stepped on the ice
Xinhua News Agency
When the tip of the ice knife crossed the finish line, Wu Dajing waved his right hand and roared with indulgence. The capital gymnasium flooded with "Chinese red" waves, like the waves lapping at the white ice surface, which could not be calmed for a long time...
With a roar of wind and thunder, Wang Shi stepped on the ice!
On the evening of February 5, the Chinese short track speed skating team won the first gold medal for the Beijing Winter Olympics for the Chinese team in the mixed team relay final with a time of 2:37.348. This is also the first gold in the history of the Olympic Games for this new event.
On February 5, the Players of the Chinese Team held a post-match ceremony. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
It's a lot of twists and turns, but it's united
The whole race was full of twists and turns, thrilling.
In the quarter-finals, Fan Kexin, Qu Chunyu, Ren Ziwei and Wu Dajing led the way and successfully advanced. In the semifinals, head coach Jin Shantai took the initiative to change the lineup and replaced Fan Kexin with Zhang Yuting. During the match, the Chinese team encountered obstacles and failed to enter the top two. After the game, there was silence, nervously waiting for the referee's ruling. The Chinese players stood tightly together, saying words of encouragement to each other. The referee finally found the United States and the Russian Olympic Committee team foul, and the Chinese team and Hungary team reached the final.
In the final, Hungary and Canada both withdrew from the championship competition due to falls, and the Chinese team, which was once a big leader, was almost chased by Italy in the last two laps. At the last moment, Pyeongchang Winter Olympic champion Wu Dajing struggled to hold the leading position and win with "one knife".
Chinese player Wu Dajing (left) celebrates after a match on Feb. 5. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
"There are ups and downs in the game, and it's not easy to win. At that time (semi-finals) we were also waiting for the result, we didn't know the situation, but everyone encouraged each other, and we were mentally prepared for the final. We will not admit it, we will not accept defeat, and we will not give up. Wu Dajing said after the game.
In Fan Kexin's view, the key to winning is team spirit. "Team, unity, do our own every step." Even when we wait for the verdict, we are always ready, because we firmly believe that we will be able to fight until the last moment. Fan Kexin choked and said, "I always believe in the team, from the day I entered the national team, I always believe in my teammates." ”
Unity, this is the power of ice-breaking victory!
Chinese player Wu Dajing (first from right) celebrates with his teammates after a game on Feb. 5. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Lei
"Da, da, da", the sharp ice knife shines coldly, powerfully smashing on the white ice, leaving a trail of imprints. Such an action is repeated ten million times, and the belief in victory is repeated ten million times, then the sincerity is reached, and the golden stone is opened.
The sword sharpens out the king's bitter cold
If the Chinese sports delegation is a warrior, then the short track speed skating team is undoubtedly the "sword" in the hands of the warriors.
As the "master of kings" of China's ice and snow sports, the short track team has emerged Olympic champions such as Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Zhou Yang, Wu Dajing, etc., and the determination to always strive for the first place is integrated into the blood of this team.
Li Yan, president of the Chinese Skating Association and former head coach of the Chinese short track team, won the gold medal in the women's 1,000 meters at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. But at that time, short track speed skating was just a performance project.
Pictured here is a profile photo of China's Li Yan (left) and her coach Xin Qingshan taken on March 3, 1988. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Jingying
Grass snake gray line, thousands of miles. The exhibition gold medal 34 years ago planted the seeds of hope for the future rise of China's short track speed skating team.
At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Li Jiajun won the silver medal in the men's 1000 meters with the "difference between the tip of the knife". The winner of China's first men's Winter Olympic medal has both regrets about missing out on the gold medal, but also sees hope for the future, "and the Olympic champion, we are only one knife tip away."
In 2002, in Salt Lake City, USA, Yang Yang won two gold medals in the women's 500 meters and 1000 meters, officially announcing that the Chinese short track speed skating team stood at the top of the Olympics.
On February 16, 2002, in the women's 500m final of the short track speed skating at the 19th Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, China's Yang Yang won the gold medal, achieving China's "zero breakthrough" in the gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Yan
Since then, at every Winter Olympics, the Chinese short track speed skating team has a gold medal in the account. Behind the gold medal is the unremitting struggle of generations of short-track people. "I don't think about anything in my head, it's just going forward, going forward!" Ren Ziwei's words after the game were loud and clear.
At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago, when the Chinese people pinched a handful of sweat for the short track team, Wu Dajing stood up. The "sharp knife on ice" won the gold medal in the men's 500 meters, and finally pierced the thick window paper of China's short track speed skating men's Olympic champion.
February 5, 2022, Beijing, Capital Gymnasium. Fan Kexin cried, Wu Dajing choked, injuries, epidemics, age, status... They carried all the pressure and expectations to the end. These four years of perseverance, these four years of tempering, converged into one sentence "China is the champion"!
The first mixed team relay gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympics, in the roar of Wu Dajing's arm, in the red tide of the whole field, engraved the word "China", which will remain in the annals of history forever.
The origin of Wan Fu Yong threatens the majestic wind of this life
The Capital Gymnasium cheered; on the land of China, the whole people cheered.
Wu Dajing said after the game: "From Pyeongchang to Beijing, although the gold medals are the same, the meaning is different. In Pyeongchang I am just excited, but in Beijing, not only excited, but also meaningful! This is our 'opening cannon', which has started, making us look forward to the next game even more, and the Chinese athletes will pass on the good news. ”
This is not only a victory for the short track speed skating team, but also a "good start" for the Chinese Winter Olympic delegation! It is like a loud charge, inspiring the Chinese athletes who go out on the expedition.
On February 5, the Chinese team players celebrated after the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Lei
This year's Chinese delegation has already made history on its expedition. When Beijing and Zhangjiakou successfully bid for the Winter Olympics, about a third of the 109 events of the Winter Olympics had never been carried out in China before. The Chinese Ice and Snowman has made a leap forward with more than 6 years of hard work. 7 major events, 15 sub-events "full project participation", 177 athletes jointly opened a new chapter in China's ice and snow sports.
This gold medal is the best footnote, which is the prologue of The Triumph! (Written by: Zhu Hong, Participating Reporters: Wang Jingyu, Zhang Han, Huang Xinxin, Wang Chunyan, Zhao Xuetong, Wang Junbao, Le Wenwan)