The Beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing women's big jump final kicked off at 10 a.m. on February 8, and among the 12 athletes who participated in the final, China's Gu Ailing appeared eighth. In the first round of the competition, Gu Ailing perfectly jumped out of her two-week flip deflection axis rotation body 1440 degrees, got a high score of 93.75; the second round of action scored 88.50 points; the third round Gu Ailing made the world's most difficult action of the two-week flip left deflection axis rotation body that had never been done before, and locked in the victory.
Challenging her limits to achieve success, Gu Ailing shed tears of excitement, and the 18-year-old girl who played in the Winter Olympics for the first time won the first gold medal in the snow sports of the Chinese Winter Olympics, and the first gold medal in the women's jumping platform of the Winter Olympics. In the future, she will also compete in two events: slope obstacle course skills and freestyle skiing U-shaped courses.
As one of the most popular athletes of the Chinese Ice and Snow Army, how does Gu Ailing have a special feeling about the Winter Olympics held at his doorstep? What kind of memories did Beijing, the "City of The Two Olympics", leave in her heart? How does this 18-year-old girl, who loves skiing, keep going above and beyond? Our reporter conducted an exclusive interview with Gu Ailing and listened to her talk about her indissoluble relationship with Beijing and freestyle skiing.
Representing the Chinese team in the Winter Olympics has always been a dream, snow training has been for several hours without eating or drinking, "find the goal, enjoy the process of fighting for it, you can realize the meaning of life"
Reporter: Why have you always maintained your love of freestyle skiing over the years?
Gu Ailing: For me, freestyle skiing is a sport that needs to constantly break through itself and break through history. There is no absolute standard for every action in freestyle skiing, and you can always increase the difficulty factor or make this move more perfect. The degree of flipping is just a number, and behind it is a spirit of constantly challenging and breaking through myself, which is what attracts me to skiing.
I learned a lot about the summer of 2021. I used to feel like I was doing different things all day long, either training, writing, or going to class, and I was busy like a little gyroscope. But now if I had to stop and do nothing, I would feel even more uncomfortable. Skiing, racing, enjoying nature, in the process, I keep trying, overcoming fears, and becoming more and more courageous. If I want to practice a new action, I will think repeatedly in my head, think about it, think it through, feel that I can do it, try it boldly, and whenever I complete a new challenge, I will feel happy from the bottom of my heart.
Skiing is an important thing in my life, but it's not all of my life. I'm only 18 years old now, and I have a lot of new things to learn in the future. But no matter what, find your own goal, enjoy the process of fighting for it, follow your heart, and do yourself well, you can achieve the meaning of life.
Reporter: You are a person who pursues the ultimate, in order to achieve this pursuit, what efforts have you made in normal times?
Gu Ailing: Many times it is easy to "think" of it, but it is more difficult to "do". Participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics has always been my dream, and it is a great honor for me to represent the Chinese team, so I asked myself to maintain self-discipline - to ensure more than 10 hours of sleep every day, to keep a diary after work and study, and to do the best in every action during training. To avoid disrupting the rhythm, I trained on the snow for hours without eating a bite or drinking a mouthful of water.
In terms of diet, I will not eat what I can't eat, but I can eat and what I should eat, and I can eat it without ambiguity. Every time I look in the mirror after eating, I think not "are these legs getting thicker", but "These legs can jump so high in the air, can make so many technical moves, and can do things that no one has done before", which makes me feel very proud.
Reporter: Last year, you became the first female athlete in the world to complete a two-week flip deflection axis rotation 1440-degree action in an official competition, where did the motivation to surpass yourself come from?
Gu Ailing: Most female freestyle skiers can do a good double dovetail, but there is still a certain gap between the level of competition of male athletes, and I want to change this situation and help women's skiing to make a breakthrough.
I think that when a person strives for a goal, not only can the goal itself make her feel happy, but the process of hard work is also worth enjoying. Waking up in the morning and thinking that there is something I want to do, want to do, and can't wait to do, makes me feel that every day is very meaningful.
The first pair of ski boots in my life came from my mother, wearing a Chinese dragon print battle robe to go to the Winter Olympics, "want to show Chinese elements to friends around the world"
Reporter: Did you design your ski equipment this year?
Gu Ailing: When skiing outdoors, we are all wrapped up, we can't see the facial expressions, and the costume becomes a window to convey personal attitude and show spiritual outlook. Every year when I prepare my ski gear, I choose a themed animal, the first being a frog and last year being a cat, because I have two cats at home and feel that they represent good luck. This year's theme animal is the Chinese dragon, my helmet, skis have a dragon pattern, the back of the coat also has, all the way to the shoulders, just a dragon head crouched on it, I also wrote "dragon among people" on the snowboard in English, hoping to add some Chinese elements to the Olympic field, show them to friends around the world, so that more people are interested in Chinese culture.
Reporter: Your mother is also a ski master, and has been accompanying you to grow and train for many years, what kind of influence did your mother bring to you?
Gu Ailing: My mother is very good, because she is the only parent who can keep up with the speed of athletes in sparring. She has always given me great support and help. In terms of life, she helps me develop good routines, such as supervising me to sleep on time. Mom was also my ski initiation teacher. When I was very young, she took me to the ski resort, bought me the first pair of ski boots in my life, encouraged and supported me under the premise of fully respecting my wishes, stimulated my inner love and motivation, and let me bravely persevere.
I think my mother is the "wisdom brain" behind my skiing, from the way of learning to the action, feeling, from the game mentality to the competitive skills, she will help me to conduct scientific analysis, let me think more deeply, I can continue to achieve breakthrough results.
Reporter: You not only achieved excellent results in skiing, but also successfully entered Stanford University. How do you juggle skiing and learning?
Gu Ailing: In high school, I completed the 4-year course in 3 years, becoming the first student in our high school history to graduate early. During that time, the working days were full of classes, exams, and weekends were also occupied by training, which was indeed a bit stressful. In these two years, I have spent more time on training and skiing, and I have also learned to find a balance between skiing and learning. I will freely choose what I like to do, such as skiing for 4 hours, writing a diary for 1 hour or learning physics, chemistry and other knowledge on the Internet, because it is the content I am interested in, so I will also take the initiative to learn, which can also regulate my brain and help me achieve a better state of exercise.
Love to eat Beijing roast duck, shabu lamb, can make braised elbows, braised fish, once witnessed the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, "the first time in front of the home to participate in the competition is of great significance"
Reporter: The opening ceremony on February 4 happened to be Lichun, did you eat spring cakes?
Gu Ailing: I ate 4! We ate really well in the canteen, and on the first day of the Chinese New Year, we also ate dumplings, pork leeks and sauerkraut white meat, which were particularly fragrant. In addition to dumplings, I also like Peking duck, honey three knives, braised pork... All the braised ones are delicious! Shabu lamb is also particularly delicious, my favorite tomato pot bottom, probably less than 10 years old can eat a pound, since then more and more strong, now in terms of eating shabu lamb may not be comparable to me.
My grandmother was the chef of our family, and I followed her to learn braised elbows, braised fish, leek boxes, steamed meat, and I dare not say that I was good at it, only tomato scrambled eggs were still good.
Reporter: How is it like to wear the dress of the Chinese sports delegation to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics?
Gu Ailing: Very excited. Every country will have a unique set of clothes at the opening ceremony, and I have been looking forward to China before, and when I open the dress, my heart beats very fast. When you get to the hand, it is even more beautiful than expected, especially with "style" and our own style. I also thought that I would definitely take it home when the event was over, and wear it when I went out.
Not long ago, I posted a catwalk video trying on Winter Olympic equipment in the room, which had a tiger head hat, which netizens liked, and I especially liked it. The reason for making this video is, on the one hand, to show their personality in this way, on the other hand, many athletes, including me, are facing a lot of pressure before the game, hoping to help everyone relax and relax their minds in this way, and go to the field in a better state.
Reporter: Beijing is the world's first "City of The Two Olympics" and your home. In your mind, what kind of city is this?
Gu Ailing: When I was a child, I would go back to Beijing every summer vacation to see Tiananmen Square, visit hutongs, climb the Great Wall, and eat delicious food. Coincidentally, in 2008, when I was only 5 years old, I went to the "Bird's Nest" with my mother to watch the 3000-meter steeplechase of the Beijing Olympic Games, which can also be regarded as witnessing two sports events in the "City of The Two Olympic Games".
The Beijing Winter Olympics was my first big game on my doorstep, and it meant a lot to me. In the past, I used to compete in other countries, full of French- and German-speaking staff, and I often couldn't understand what everyone was talking about, but now I'm the one who can understand everyone around me, and it feels really different to play in my hometown.
This time back, many people are saying to me, AiLing, don't feel pressured, do yourself. These words are only spoken by my family, very warm, let me know that the reason why everyone supports me is not only because of the results I have achieved, but also because of the things I have done, my persistence, and some of the things I want to convey to everyone.
Witness the whole process of China's freestyle skiing circle from small to large, take the initiative to take a photo with small ski enthusiasts, "I grew up with China's ice and snow" "I hope to make more Chinese teenagers fall in love with this sport"
Reporter: In order to prepare for the Winter Olympics, what preparations have been made recently?
Gu Ailing: According to the plan, each competition I participate in has a 3-day training period, 1 preliminary round, and 1 final. 3 events meant 15 days of high-intensity exercise, which was really a challenge for my physical fitness. Since I returned to China last summer to quarantine, I have been running on the treadmill or doing about 4 hours of physical training every day.
Two months ago, I participated in two training camps in Switzerland and Austria, mainly in Switzerland for U-shaped venues and in Austria for slope obstacles. I also participated in many races in the future, preparing for the Winter Olympics through the method of "training by race". After returning to China, the professional team including physical trainers, masseurs, team doctors and other personnel provided me with a lot of help in training, which was very useful for maintaining competitive status.
Reporter: You often take the initiative to approach the children who are skiing and take photos with them, do you want to pass on the power of idols to more people?
Gu Ailing: When I first came into contact with skiing in China when I was a child, the whole freestyle skiing circle was very small, and there may not be 100 people in total, and almost everyone in the country who engaged in this sport knew each other. Today, the circle has grown at an unimaginable rate. From the situation when I participated in China's first ski slope obstacle course competition with almost no one paying attention to ice and snow sports, to now more and more young people are enjoying this fun, I think China's ice and snow sports are developing very fast, and the heat is still rising.
I grew up with China's ice and snow, and it is one of my life goals to promote the development of skiing in China and make more young people fall in love with skiing. So whenever I see teenagers skiing, I want to communicate with them from the bottom of my heart, hoping to bring my love of skiing to them, which is also an encouragement for myself. May you enjoy the sport of skiing as a way to relax yourself, to get to know yourself better, to understand others, to understand the world culture, and to feel nature through skiing.
(China News Network)