Beijing, February 8 (Xinhua) -- The wind in Beijing lifted Gu Ailing up and raised her number suit, and the "Chinese dragon" on the back of the snow suit was illuminated by the sun, as if it were printed in the sky.
Ride the snow down, jump into the air, flip for two weeks, turn 1620... After 3 seconds, Gu Ailing screamed loudly, clasped her head with both hands, and covered her cheeks, as if she couldn't believe that she had done all this.
Turn 1620 is currently the most difficult move that a female freestyle ski jumper can do, and her first attempt was the final jump at the Beijing Winter Olympics!
After squatting for a few seconds, Gu Ailing got up and waited for the score, muttering "I'm going to cry, I'm going to cry..." In her body, this is not common, even if she is much behind her opponent after the second jump, she is smiling.
"It's a breathless game." IOC President Bach, who was watching the game, said.
Yes, in the finals of the Winter Olympics, no one will have a single reservation.
In the first jump, France's Tess Ludd completed the most difficult turn 1620, which was her victory at the World Extreme Games and gave her a lead with 94.50 points.
According to the rules, the higher of the three jumps of the contestants is added together, which is the total result. After two jumps, Gu Ailing was third, 5.25 points behind Tess. It seems like a millimeter difference, but between the masters, this difference is not small.
94.50 points! After the final score of the third jump was announced, Gu Ailing surpassed his opponent by 0.75 and temporarily ranked first. She fell to her knees, covered her face with her hands, and wept on her back, and cheers and applause overwhelmed her, but the gold medal did not belong to her at this time.
Perhaps under pressure, or in poor shape, Tess completed the air movement with the last jump, but the center of gravity was unstable when she landed. The final score of 73.50 seemed to suck away her strength, and Tess squatted on the ground and sobbed.
Gu Ailing, who won the gold medal, did not leave the field, but walked to the opponent's side and gently caressed Tess's back to comfort her.
"I want to tell her that part of the gold medal also belongs to her." Gu Ailing said that it was her opponent who contributed to her completion of the turn 1620.
After the second jump, Gu Ailing's mother called to suggest that she choose a more secure turn 1440, at least to ensure the silver medal.
"Mom, I don't want to do that." "The last choice is yours, it's your game, enjoy it."
Accustomed to listening to songs on headphones during the competition, she changed her music, stopped sideways at the top of the snow slope, turned her body slightly, and rehearsed the new action she was going to try in her mind. Then, the girl carrying the "Chinese dragon" jumped into the blue sky and rushed into the unknown!
This is certainly a risky option.
But she said: "This is the Winter Olympics, the whole world is watching, and it's a particularly important second to represent sportsmanship." I always say that I'm not here to beat other players, I just want to push my boundaries. This talented girl, who insisted on her original intention at an important moment in her life, wrote a simple footnote to the Olympic motto "faster, higher, stronger, more united".
It was only 3 seconds to vacate, but it had been waiting for more than 10 years.
With this jump, Gu Ailing jumped out of his new self and jumped on the highest podium of the Winter Olympics. This jump also allowed China to harvest the second gold in the history of the snow project after 16 years!
"Winning a gold medal here is the biggest honor, the biggest dream." Gu Ailing said, "I thank the country for all that it has done for this Winter Olympics. ”
Embroidering the golden "Chinese dragon" on the competition suit is Gu Ailing's own creativity, she said, wanting the world to see and learn more about Chinese culture. Today, she and the "Chinese Dragon" take off in the air of Beijing, in the same frame as the Five Rings logo! This picture will forever be frozen in the history of the Winter Olympics, frozen in people's hearts!
(Xinhua News Agency)