In the 2000m final of the short track speed skating mixed team relay at the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese team composed of Fan Kexin, Qu Chunyu, Ren Ziwei and Wu Dajing finally won the championship with a time of 2 minutes 37 seconds 348 seconds, winning the first gold medal in the history of the project, and it was also the first gold medal won by the Chinese delegation in this Winter Olympic Games. After successfully reaching the top podium, several short track speed skaters revealed different emotions in interviews, including a passage in Fan Kexin's choking that touched everyone in front of the TV.
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I've been waiting for this gold medal for too long, I've always believed in the team, and from the day I entered the national team, I always believed in my teammates and believed in the strength of the team. On the morning of the competition, we were still studying, still running in, how to skate better. I've been on the national team for 12 years, and first of all I want to thank the country. We train every day in a state of fighting, and when we go down to the ice, there is blood in our throats. At this moment, I feel that all our efforts are worth it!
——Chinese short track speed skater Fan Kexin
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Fan Kexin, Qu Chunyu, Ren Ziwei, Wu Dajing and Zhang Yuting (who did not play in the final) stood on the highest podium of the Winter Olympics
Like many ice and snow predecessors, Fan Kexin grew up in Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, although the permanent population of this small city is only more than 600,000 people, but it has contributed 10 ice and snow world champions such as Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Liu Qiuhong and so on. In fact, Fan Kexin is not a native of Qitaihe, but only moved in when he was a child because his father failed in business. At that time, the whole family had to squeeze into a seven-square-meter cottage, and the parents struggled to rely on a shoe repair shop to support the family.
When she was young, Fan Kexin loved dancing like many girls of the same age, but when she learned that the tuition fee of the dance specialty class was "as high" as 100 yuan per month, she resolutely gave up in order not to burden her parents. At that time, every time the neighbor saw her, he couldn't help but praise: "This little girl is so sensible!" Later, after being introduced, Fan Kexin came to the Qitaihe Amateur Sports School with her mother, and her enlightenment coach Ma Qingzhong took a fancy to this little girl with excellent physical coordination and strong personality at a glance. After learning that she could learn to skate here for free, Fan Kexin's fate with the ice and snow world began, and after entering the ice rink, she did not have long hair.
At that time, Fan Kexin had to be sent to the ice rink by her mother at less than 4 o'clock in the morning every day, although the early morning temperature in Qitaihe City was often minus 20 or 30 degrees, but she never wanted to back down, because she hoped that through her own efforts, she could step into the provincial team step by step and reduce the burden on the family. At that time, a pair of expensive skates had made Fan Kexin sad and cry... In an earlier interview, Fan Kexin said: "I am not afraid of pain, nor am I afraid of tiredness, I hope that through a little progress, I will win a gold medal for my mother, and I will no longer let my parents live in a small house of 7 square meters." ”
"The silent lightning on the ice receded the rumble of the sinking shores." Kitajima's poems can be used to describe the sport of short-track speed skating, but also fit Fan Kexin's career - he was called to the national team at the age of 17 and fulfilled his Olympic dream at the age of 29.
In March 2011, only five months after being selected for the national team, Fan Kexin, who was not yet 18 years old, made a splash at the World Championships, pushing Italy's Fang Tana to win the championship. After that, as a key training object of the national team, Fan Kexin had a good performance in the World Cup series and the 500 meters of the World Championships. However, as if it were a test of fate, in the Olympic arena, Fan Kexin's journey was full of twists and turns. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Fan Kexin, who won five individual World Championships in the 500m, was originally the most powerful gold medal contender for the Event. However, in the semifinals, Fan Kexin accidentally fell and finally missed the final with a time of 1 minute 24 seconds 431. At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics 4 years ago, in the most promising 500-meter short track speed skating, Fan Kexin opened the foul, although the third line collision, but because of the foul was judged to be invalid. In the 3000-meter relay, Fan Kexin encountered an opponent during the handover and was again convicted of fouling, and the results of the Chinese team were canceled. The Beijing Winter Olympics may be Fan Kexin's last chance to realize his Olympic gold medal dream. Only by understanding her 12 years of longing, unwillingness and persistence can we appreciate the weight of the phrase "I waited too long".
Seeing his daughter win the first Olympic gold medal of her career, Fan Kexin's parents who stood in front of the TV set were also quite excited, and once shed tears of joy. Fan Kexin's mother, Nie Guiling, said: "My girl has finally fulfilled her winter Olympic dream! Her efforts over the years had not been in vain. She has been able to persist until now, with a belief that I must win glory for China. We are especially proud and proud as parents. With the 500m and 3000m racing to come, I hope she continues to glorify her country and stand on the highest podium on her doorstep! ”