Cross-country skiing, "snow marathon"

Cross-country skiing is a sport that uses skiing equipment, mountaineering, turning, sliding and other techniques to slide in the snowy fields of the hills, with long track lines and long race times, known as "snow marathon". In 1924, at the first Winter Olympics, cross-country skiing was included in the competition. Cross-country skiing trails include uphill, undulating, and downhill, each accounting for 1/3 of the total length. Rank according to how long it takes to reach the finish line.

Athlete equipment includes skis, ski boots, retainers, poles, ski suits, goggles, gloves, etc. Before the start of the race, the athlete's snowboard is marked by the race, and at least one snowboard is required to be marked at the end of the race. Those who change both boards will be judged as fouls and the results will be invalid.

Snowboard waxing is an important part of cross-country skiing events and training. Under different temperature and snow conditions, waxers choose different snowboard wax and adjust different wax application methods, which can help athletes obtain appropriate snowboard friction and improve sports performance. At this Winter Olympics, the domestic snow wax truck was put into use for the first time, which can be used by 6 waxing engineers to wax the snowboard at the same time.

Cross-country skiing techniques are divided into traditional techniques and free techniques. The traditional gliding is carried out on two specially set snow troughs, where the athlete swings forward with his legs back and forth and the poles prop up. Freestyle skating has no snow troughs and no restrictions on movement.

In cross-country skiing, athletes can start as individuals and as a group. In single departures, each athlete is spaced 15-30 seconds apart. Events include individual sprints and individual time trials. In the group departure, the athletes set off in teams at the same time, and the number of events is determined by lottery, including double chase, team sprint, group departure, and relay race.

There are 12 sub-events in the Cross-country Skiing Competition of the Beijing Winter Olympics, namely: men's double chase, individual short distance, 15 km, 4× 10 km relay, team short distance, 50 km collective departure; women's double chase, individual short distance, 10 km, 4×5 km relay, team short distance, 30 km collective departure. The competition was held at the National Cross-Country Ski Center and resulted in a total of 12 gold medals.

Finishing: Shi Zhe

Draft: Zhang Fangman Zhang Danfeng

People's Daily ( 2022-02-09 10th edition)