BRATISLAVA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- On February 9, Slovakia's Petra Flova won the women's slalom championship in alpine skiing, the fourth gold medal in Slovakia's history. It is worth mentioning that as of now, all the gold medals of the Winter Olympics in Slovakia have come from female players. Xinhua News Agency reporters interviewed Flora and her team in Beijing after the game, as well as her family in Slovakia.
Slovakia's Petra Flova at a medal presentation ceremony on February 9. Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen took photos
Si National Idol is superior in strength but Pyeongchang regrets
The trip to Beijing was Flora's third participation in the Winter Olympics. She is the 2020-2021 Alpine Skiing World Cup Women's Overall Champion. On the eve of the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, she has been competing in the 2021-2022 Alpine Skiing World Cup, trying to defend the title.
Born in 1995, Flova began practicing skiing at the age of three and holds several youth world championship titles, including Youth Olympic Champion and World Youth Championship Champion.
She is the "genius girl" in the eyes of the Slovaks, before the Beijing Winter Olympics won the championship, she was already a hot national idol in Slovakia, highly sought after by fans and businesses, and the beautiful image of Flova was also the image spokesperson of the Slovak Winter Olympic Army. After winning the championship on the 9th, many public figures, brands and merchants in Slovakia congratulated her on social media.
Slovakia's Petra Flova competes on February 9. Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Zhen took photos
Four years ago in Pyeongchang, Flova, who shouldered the high expectations of the Slovak people, failed to stand on the podium, leaving a deep regret. But the Slovak people have not lost faith in her. Before the Slovak delegation left for Beijing, the head of the delegation introduced Flova to the media several times. The local Slovak media has also done a number of polls, and when asked which project they thought was most likely to win gold for the Slovak delegation, the answer was surprisingly unanimous: alpine skiing women's rotation.
Coming later on top Psychological strength is the key
In the 9th competition, Flova ranked eighth after the first round, just when the audience thought she was going to regret it again, she won the gold medal with a near-perfect performance in the second round, defeating Austria's Katarina with a 0.08 second advantage.
After winning the championship, Flova told Xinhua News Agency: "I overcame my emotions. After the first round, the situation didn't look good and I had a hard time getting into shape for a while. But my team believes in me and I wouldn't have won the game without the support of the team. At that time, everyone on the team repeatedly told me that all I needed to do now was focus on the second round. They all played an important role in my gold grab. I am very grateful to the people who have always believed in me and have not lost faith in me, including fans who are far away in Slovakia. ”
Before the start of the 2021-2022 season, Flora's team brought in a new coach, the Italian Pini. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Slovenian skier Tina Metz won two gold medals under his guidance. The local sports media in Slovakia generally believe that Pini's arrival has brought changes to the Flova team, especially that he has brought "comfort and calm", which is very important for the mentality of the players when playing.
After Flova won the championship, Pini, who was already the "three gold coach" of the Winter Olympics, told reporters: "My heart is still beating wildly. I've always stressed the need to believe you can win and create the right energy and leadership. I told Flora that after the first round you have nothing to lose and you have to devote yourself to the second round. In the end, she did it to the fullest and I'm very happy. ”
"A great triumph for girls from small countries"
Flova's father, Igor, is known to the Slovaks as her "number one fan" and is also the head of Flora's team. This time, he did not go to Beijing with the team, but cheered his daughter on in his hometown.
After witnessing her daughter make history on television, Igor wept with joy: "Her victory is everything." We cried and jumped and hugged with joy, and we clenched our fists. Her performance is perfect and the team is doing a great job. Now, I am the proudest father. A girl from a small country has won a huge victory in front of the whole world. ”
Slovakia is located in the central and eastern part of Europe, with a population of only more than 5 million, but the people generally love ice and snow sports, and the high and low Tatras in Slovakia is a well-known training ground for ice and snow projects in Europe. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Slovak delegation consisted of 111 members, including 50 athletes.
Editors: Liu Yang, Huang Xuguo, Ji Jiadong