Preparing for a Longer Future (Olympics and Me)

On February 3, the moment I stepped onto the ice rink at the Wukesong Sports Center, tears moistened my eyes. This is the return of the Chinese women's ice hockey team to the Winter Olympics after 12 years, and the scenes of the past continue to reappear in the mind. For more than 10 years, I have experienced the highlight moments of the Chinese team and the trough moments, but the ups and downs, I have never left.

At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, women's ice hockey officially became a Winter Olympic sport, and the Chinese team won the fourth place in its debut. It was in that year that I became 9 years old and hooked up with ice hockey. My father was also an ice hockey player, and with his encouragement, I put on an ice knife and held a club in my hand, from interest to love, this practice is more than 20 years.

In 2005, I was selected for the national team. At that time, I just wanted to train well every day and learn from good athletes. The effort paid off, I was on the field at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and I completed my first assist at the Winter Olympics. That excitement and satisfaction is still unforgettable.

After that, due to the retirement of the old players one after another, the team did not pick up, and the results declined. But my love of ice hockey has always sustained my efforts. Over the years, I have trained in many places to continuously improve my strength, and I have always had a belief in my heart - I firmly believe that the Chinese team can do better, and I am eager to pursue my dreams with the team.

From being selected for the national team at the age of 17 to nearly 17 years now, although he has grown older, his love has not changed. Ice hockey has long been an integral part of my life, teaching me what responsibility and responsibility are. As the captain, as the only post-80s team member in the team, I am well aware of the responsibility on my shoulders, stand up when there is difficulty, and accompany the young players to grow up together.

This Winter Olympics has been tough for us in every game. Although it is a pity that we did not advance to the quarterfinals, we showed the spirit of tenacious struggle and never giving up. Against Denmark, we scored two goals in a row in the last minute to win, and against Japan, we fought until the last minute to win the penalty shootout.

By playing with strong teams, we see the gap and also see the hope. Only by standing the test of the competition can we grow faster. Now these players are very young, after the Winter Olympics, they will have a great improvement from psychology to technical tactics. Next, we will carefully summarize and invest in a new round of training to prepare for the world championships and the longer term.

(The author is the captain of the Chinese women's ice hockey team, interviewed by Li Yang, a reporter of this newspaper)

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