"This child has the big picture in his heart" - the father and coach of Li Wenlong, the runner-up of the Winter Olympics short track

Qingdao, February 8 (Xinhua) -- "This child has the big picture in his heart" - the father and coach of Li Wenlong, the runner-up of the Winter Olympics short track

Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Kai

"Do you have a face and a father?"

"Son, you're so good, that's pretty good."

"I didn't think about the results at all, I just thought that as long as China can win the championship."

On the 8th, Li Wenlong's father, Li Jukun, showed reporters part of the chat records of him and his son in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. Just a day ago, Qingdao's Li Wenlong won the silver medal in the men's 1000m short track speed skating final at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

"He felt that he had already won if he could reach the final, so he didn't particularly care whether he won the card or not, but repeatedly said, 'We must try to protect our two brothers, and we will ensure that China wins the championship'." Li Jukun said.

Li Wenlong, who stood on the podium, quickly received widespread attention, but as a father, Li Jukun could not forget that Li Wenlong, who was thin and small, stumbled when he first went to the ice 10 years ago.

Li Jukun told reporters that Li Wenlong liked roller skating when he was in elementary school, and later after practicing for less than half a year, Li Jukun sent 11-year-old Li Wenlong to Qingdao and threw himself under Yang Zhanyu and Liu Xiaoying, who had just formed a team.

"I remember it very clearly, it was November 11, 2012. When I got to the team, the coach asked the child if he had ever been on the ice, and I said that there was ice on the river in the countryside of my hometown in winter. Li Jukun recalled that at that time, Li Wenlong did not really skate on ice, and at most he had less than half a year of roller skating experience. Later, the coach let the child try on the ice, and as a result, Li Wenlong stumbled as soon as he got on the ice, and the coach euphemistically said at the time, "First let him hang out on the edge of the field and play by himself."

After the first day of training, the skinny Li Wenlong cried tiredly, and Li Wenlong's mother also cried. But even so, Li Wenlong still ignored the persuasion of his parents and insisted on staying in the team to practice skating.

This practice is 10 years.

In the view of Li Wenlong's coach Liu Xiaoying, Li Wenlong's ability to stand on the podium of the Winter Olympics is the result of his 10 years of hard work.

"This child talks about the overall situation, has tenacity, can endure hardships, and this child's success is no accident." Liu Xiaoying said that Li Wenlong often cooperates with his teammates in training, and when he is a "supporting role", he rarely complains, and he is very team-minded and has a sense of the overall situation.

Liu Xiaoying told reporters that she led the team very strictly and had high requirements for the team members, but Li Wenlong was rarely criticized by her. "Li Wenlong often said that as soon as he arrived on the ice rink, he was like playing chicken blood, which is indeed the case, training hard, executing the coach's orders very resolutely, very in place, is a very reliable child." Liu Xiaoying said. (End)