Beijing, 10 Feb (Xinhua) -- The women's and men's finals of the freestyle ski jump at the Beijing Winter Olympics were held on the 8th and 9th respectively at the Shougang Ski Jumping Venue, with China's Gu Ailing and Norway's Burke Ruder winning the championships respectively.
In addition to the dramatic competition process and the performance of athletes challenging the limits, the venue of the Shougang Big Jump has also become the focus of attention of many overseas media. In the overseas "out of the circle", what is the basis for the Shougang big jump?
On February 9, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Freestyle Ski Men's Big Jump competition was held at the Beijing Shougang Ski Jump, with Sweden's Jesper Sheide in the competition.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Xiaobang
Big chimneys that don't spit smoke rings
"Those 'crazy' chimneys behind them are cool." U.S. men's freestyle skier Alexander Hall said. He tried the highest known difficulty of the project in the third round of the final, turn 2160, and failed to win the medal.
As a unique backdrop for athletes to take off, the deactivated chimneys and cooling towers in the Shougang Industrial Park stand out in the broadcast of the event. The Associated Press reported that a closed steel mill sent Winter Olympic athletes into the sky.
Colby Stevenson of the United States competes in the men's big jump in freestyle skiing on Feb. 9. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
The industrial chimneys that do not spit smoke rings, which are difficult to find in all the big jumping venues in the world, condense the beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee's concept of practicing sustainable development and frugality in running the Olympic Games, and shine with the light of Chinese wisdom.
In 2008, taking the opportunity of Beijing's hosting of the Olympic Games, the old industrial park of Shougang ushered in relocation and transformation. Today, the silos that were once used to store ironmaking raw materials have become the office area of the Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee; the refined coal workshop has become the training base for the Ice Project of the Chinese National Team; and the freestyle ski jump has been built next to the cooling tower.
On February 8, China's Gu Ailing won the championship in the freestyle ski women's big jump competition. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lan Hongguang
"Seeing this fantastic, iconic new venue and seeing the excellent operations is really beyond my imagination." On the 7th, IOC President Bach said after watching the Shougang Ski Jump that he had said that it was a stunning example of urban planning and renewal.
The world's first permanent grand jumping venue
"When I stepped on it, I didn't feel like skiing on a 'metal frame', it was more like being in a ski park." Canadian athlete Evan McEkellen, 24, said, "The field drops in a very wide area, everything was perfect and I felt very safe. ”
Sweden's Olivier Manusson competes in the men's big jump on Yuki skiing on February 9. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
Unlike other temporary venues, the Shougang Ski Jump is mainly made of steel structure, which is the world's first permanent big jumping competition venue. It is worth mentioning that the 4100 tons of steel used in the construction of this place all come from Shougang's own steel.
The steel-boned Shougang Ski Jump has a name full of classical Chinese beauty - "Snow Flying". This is because its design is inspired by the "flying sky" in the ancient Dunhuang murals, and the shape of the ribbon flying in the air is very suitable for the curve of the big jumping platform track.
In addition, it is the only snow sports venue in the central urban area of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Gu Ailing once said in an interview that after jumping from the track here, he can see his home not far away.
High-tech helps players take off
After the freestyle ski jumping competition, the snowboard jumping event will also be held here. Although the two events may not seem to be much different, in fact, the track surfaces required by athletes are completely different. The variable slope technology of the Shougang Ski Jumping Site enables track conversion to meet two different needs.
Norway's Bilk Rudder competes in the men's big jump in freestyle skiing on Feb. 9. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
The cross-section of the track refers to the inclined platform area of the Shougang Ski Jump, which is commonly referred to as the player's jumping area. This area, which is about 36 meters long, about 13 meters wide, and has a maximum height difference of about 3.5 meters, uses about 1,100 modules to build "building blocks" to change the curve of the track and realize the rapid switching of different race tracks.
"Compared to 2019, the venue is smoother and more delicate, the starting platform is very good, and the quality of the snow is much better." Norwegian male player Ruud said. In 2019, he won the "Boiling Snow" freestyle ski jumping event on this field, and on the 9th, he won the gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics here.
On February 8, China's Gu Ailing celebrated her victory after winning the freestyle ski women's big jump. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Xu
"I and all the athletes really enjoyed this jumping platform, we felt it was a great ride!" Gu Ailing said. In the final jump of the women's final on the 8th, she successfully completed the current most difficult turn 1620 for women here, a move she had never tried in any other competition before.
Editors: Liu Yang, Huang Xuguo, Zhou Xin