The Winter Olympics are arguably one of the world's largest sporting events, and like the Summer Olympics, they are held every four years. The difference is that the Summer Olympics include almost all sports competitions, while the Winter Olympics are basically ice or snow sports.
The Summer Olympics have a long history, dating back to ancient Greece more than 2,000 years ago. The history of the Winter Olympics is not long, in 1924, the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, and since then, the Winter Olympics have become a global sporting event held every four years.
However, for many years, China did not participate because of the suffering of war and poverty, and it was not until 1980 that the Chinese delegation participated in the 13th Winter Olympics held in the United States for the first time.
In the 10th Winter Olympic Games in the following 42 years, Chinese athletes have been working the field and shedding blood and tears. During this period, we have experienced the embarrassing situation of three competitions without winning anything, and we have also enjoyed the brilliant moments of one hardware.
Today (2022), the 24th Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing, mainland China, at this special moment, we will recall the 7 legends in the history of the Continental Winter Olympics.
1. Zhao Weichang, the first winter Olympic standard-bearer in mainland China
In 1980, the 13th Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid in the United States, which was also the first time that the Chinese delegation participated in the Winter Olympic Games, and the mainland sent a total of 28 male and female athletes to participate in 18 individual competitions in skating, skiing and modern biathlon.
At that time, the 30-year-old Zhao Weichang was regarded as the most outstanding speed skater in the mainland, so he was selected as the first flag bearer of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games of the mainland delegation, which can be described as the first flag bearer of the New China Olympic Games (including the Summer Olympics).
Zhao Weichang, a native of Changchun, Jilin Province, was born in 1950, and in the 1970s, he was arguably one of the best ice athletes in China, dominating the list almost every year.
Before competing in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Zhao Weichang won the men's national speed skating all-around championship 11 consecutive times, broke the national record 26 times, and finished second in the men's 500 meters at the 1975 World Championships in Oslo.
It is precisely because of such dazzling results that Zhao Weichang was selected as the first flag bearer of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in the mainland. When he held up the five-star red flag in his hand and stepped into the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, it not only had epoch-making significance for the mainland, but also a supreme honor for him personally.
At the 13th Winter Olympics, Zhao Weichang participated in the men's 500m, 1000m and 1500m speed skating competitions, and won the 31st, 24th and 25th places respectively.
Later, Zhao Weichang said in an interview: "In 1980, I was 30 years old, which was a great honor and a great fortune to participate in a competition like the Winter Olympics in the final stage of my sports career. And to serve as the standard-bearer of the Chinese delegation is another great honor. ”
2, Ye Qiaobo, break through zero medals
At the 13th, 14th and 15th Winter Olympics, the mainland did not win medals. It was not until the 16th Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, in 1992, that the mainland women's speed skater Ye Qiaobo won the first silver medal, thus achieving a "zero breakthrough" in the continental Winter Olympic medals.
Ye Qiaobo is a native of Changchun, Jilin Province, born in 1964, entered the changchun amateur sports school speed skating class at the age of 10, and was selected for the Bayi speed skating team at the age of 12, it can be said that she grew up on the ice skating track since childhood, laying a solid foundation for her later skating career.
In 1985, Ye Qiaobo was selected for the national team with excellent results, and since then, she has not only been invincible on the domestic stage, but also on the international stage.
At the 16th Winter Olympic Games in 1992, Ye Qiaobo directly made a splash, winning two silver medals in the women's 1000 meters and 500 meters speed skating, achieving a breakthrough of zero medals in the history of the Winter Olympics for China.
This is an epoch-making moment, the mainland has not won a medal in the first three Winter Olympic Games, that kind of long-suppressed resentment and unwillingness, at this moment has been fully released, the mainland after 12 years of hard work, finally at that moment to raise its eyebrows and breathe again.
Since then, from March 1992 to March 1993, Ye Qiaobo has participated in the World Cup Series, the World Women's Championship and the World Sprint Championship, winning all the championships in the women's 500 meters event, the women's sprint all-around championship, the World Cup finals women's 500 meters championship, winning a total of 17 gold medals, becoming the first short distance speed skating world champion in China and Asia.
Successive races also seriously injured Ye Qiaobo, her left knee baseplate shattered, a large area of cartilage fracture. However, Ye Qiaobo, who was seriously injured, still appeared at the 17th Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, when she participated with an injury and won the bronze medal in the 1000 meters in 1 minute 20.22 seconds, which was the first medal won by the Chinese team in the 10 days of the winter Olympics.
In 1994, after the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, the injured Ye Jobo announced his retirement. Ye Qiaobo, hanging an ice knife to the battlefield, sat in a wheelchair and triumphed, becoming a myth of the world of that year.
3, Yang Yang, breakthrough zero gold medal
After Ye Qiaobo, the Chinese team on the stage of the Winter Olympics, both in terms of achievements and morale, has risen year by year, but unfortunately it has never been related to the gold medal.
Until 2002, at the 19th Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, Yang Yang won the gold medal in the women's short track speed skating 500 meters and 1000 meters, achieving a "zero breakthrough" for the Chinese delegation to win the Winter Olympic gold medal, and Yang Yang also became China's first Winter Olympic champion.
Born in 1975 in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, Yang Yang has an innate talent and love for skating since she was a child, and at the age of 8, she was favored by Wang Chunyao, an amateur sports school coach in her hometown, and began her life's ice and snow road.
In 1986, at the age of 11, Yang Yang entered the Qitaihe Amateur Sports School and began to train in skating; at the age of 13, she entered the Harbin Sports School to practice short track speed skating. Since then, Yang Yang has begun to emerge in various domestic competitions, and has won the national short track speed skating 1500 meters and 3000 meters championships.
In 1995, Yang Yang entered the Chinese national team from heilongjiang province, and since then, Yang Yang has begun to move from the domestic stage to the international stage, and on the international stage, Yang Yang began to shine and opened her legendary life.
From 1995 to 1997, Yang Yang has won the women's 500 meters, 1000 meters, 1500 meters, 3000 meters of the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, and has broken the world record many times.
At the 18th Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, Yang Yang won the silver medal with his teammates in the women's 3000m relay with a time of 4 minutes 16.383 seconds, which was a very big blow to Yang Yang, and he did not close his eyes for several days and nights.
In the following four years, Yang Yang worked harder for the goal of gold medals in the Winter Olympics. At the 19th Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, Yang Yang withstood great pressure and finally won the gold medals in the women's short track speed skating 500 meters and 1000 meters, achieving a breakthrough of zero gold medals in the history of the Chinese Winter Olympics.
At that moment, the whole country rejoiced, and everyone in the country was proud of this 27-year-old girl. For a time, Yang Yang's name was also well-known at home and abroad, and almost everyone in the industry knew it. In 2006, Yang Yang announced his retirement.
4. Han Xiaopeng, the first man in the men's gold medal
If Yang Yang is the top soldier of the women's group in the history of the Mainland Winter Olympics, then Han Xiaopeng is the pride of the men's group.
In 2006, at the 20th Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Han Xiaopeng rose to the occasion and won the gold medal in the men's freestyle skiing aerial skills competition, which was the first gold medal won by a mainland male athlete at the Winter Olympics.
Han Xiaopeng is a native of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, born in 1983, at the age of 5, Han Xiaopeng practiced in the sports school in his hometown, and at the age of 12, he was selected by Yang Erqi of Shenyang Sports Institute to formally practice freestyle skiing aerial skills.
In 1999, Han Xiaopeng was selected to enter the national team and began to emerge in domestic competitions, from 1999 to 2006, Han Xiaopeng participated in many domestic competitions, but his results were not so dazzling, unlike the aforementioned Ye Qiaobo and Yang Yang, who began as a champion harvester.
Han Xiaopeng is the runner-up and third-place winner most of the time, and he is always close to losing the championship. However, at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Han Xiaopeng was like a dark horse, standing out of nowhere and making a splash.
In the men's aerial skills qualifier, Han Xiaopeng won the first place with 250.45 points, giving the Chinese people an unexpected surprise; unexpectedly, the bigger surprise was still to come, in the final, Han Xiaopeng defeated all the strong opponents with a score of 250.77 points and won the gold medal in the men's aerial skills competition, when he was 23 years old.
This is the first snow sports gold medal won by the Chinese team since it participated in the Winter Olympics, and it is also the first gold medal won by Chinese male athletes in the Winter Olympics, Han Xiaopeng used his perfect flight to interpret the Chinese myth of "Kunhua Peng" to the world.
Han Xiaopeng became famous in one fell swoop, and at that moment, his name was forever engraved on the honor list of the mainland's Olympic history. Since then, Han Xiaopeng has begun to show his skills in international events, and has won championships in the Asian Winter Games and the World Freestyle Ski Championships.
In 2008, Han Xiaopeng served as the torchbearer of the Beijing Olympic Games, passing the torch in Shenyang, and in 2010, at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Han Xiaopeng served as the standard-bearer and led the Chinese team to the entrance. In the same year, Han Xiaopeng announced his retirement due to injury.
5. Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue, the first gold medal in figure skating, the elders of the Four Dynasties of the Winter Olympics
Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue are both from Harbin, Heilongjiang, Zhao Hongbo was born in 1973, and Shen Xue was born in 1978.
In 1992, the two began to practice pair skating together, spent 18 spring and autumn on the field together, can be called a perfect pair of screen CP in the minds of the Chinese, and what is more enviable is that the two of them finally entered the palace of marriage.
In 1998, the two participated in the 18th Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, which was their first time on the stage of the Winter Olympics.
Since then, they have maintained the high standard of the top three at the World Championships for three consecutive times, winning the second place in 1999 and 2000 and the third place in 2001. For a time, they became the most Olympic gold rushing athletes in figure skating after Chen Lu.
In 2002, at the 19th Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, their "killer skills" failed to throw around the jump and missed the gold medal, only winning the bronze medal in the double skating. In 2006, at the Winter Olympics in Turin, they still had no chance of gold medals, winning the bronze medal in pair skating.
Missing the gold medal for three consecutive Winter Olympics has become the biggest regret of Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue. In the years that followed, although they won several gold medals in other international competitions, the Winter Olympic gold medal was their biggest heart disease and wish.
Finally, at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Zhao Hongboshen got his wish, breaking the world record with a total score of 216.57 points and winning the figure skating double skating championship.
In this battle, they rewrote the history of china's figure skating winter Olympics without gold medals, but also broke the Monopoly of figure skating pair skating in the 12 consecutive Winter Olympics for the Russians for 46 years, and successfully completed the last Olympic trip.
After the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the two announced their retirement, and at the same time entered the palace of marriage, becoming a pair of immortal couples envied by the world, and as the elders of the four Winter Olympics, their double skating legend has also been inspiring future generations.
6. Wang Meng, the triple crown of women's short track speed skating, broke the world record
Born in 1984 in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang, Wang Meng was shot by the short track speed skating coach of the Qitaihe Amateur Sports School in Heilongjiang Province at the age of 10, and began her speed skating career.
In 1998, at the age of 14, Wang Meng entered the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports School and became a real professional athlete, and in 2001, Wang Meng was selected for the national team with excellent results.
From 2002 to 2004, she participated in the World Youth Championships, World Championships, World Cups and other events, and won gold medals in each event, becoming the most promising new generation of athletes at that time.
In 2006, Wang Meng participated in the 20th Winter Olympics in Turin, winning the gold medal in the women's 500 meters of short track speed skating with a time of 44.345 seconds, and also won the third place and the second place of the short track speed skating women's 1500 meters and the runner-up of the 1000 meters.
That year, the Chinese team won a total of two gold medals, one won by Han Xiaopeng and the other by Wang Meng. Wang Meng has successively created miracles, becoming the first person in the world for short track speed skating women's 500 meters, creating a "Mao era".
In 2010, at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Wang Meng broke the world record twice in a row in the preliminary and semi-finals of the women's short track speed skating 500 meters, and then in the final, Wang Meng once again won the gold medal.
What is even more unexpected is that in the next women's 1000 meters and 3000 meters relay races, Wang Meng was invincible and won two gold medals again, becoming the first triple crown in the history of mainland short track speed skating.
Prior to that, only two Chinese athletes had won three gold medals at the same Olympics, one was Li Ning (Los Angeles 1984) and the other was Zou Kai (2008 Beijing Olympics), and Wang Meng became the historic third.
After the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Wang Meng did not stop, participated in the World Championships in Short Track Speed Skating in Sofia, Bulgaria in March, and won the 500 meters and 1000 meters in one fell swoop.
Some people in the world are born to create history, Wang Meng is such a person who was born for skating, and she is a legend on the field.
7. Wu Dajing, the first person to win the gold medal in men's short track speed skating
Wu Dajing, a native of Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, was born in 1994, and at the age of 10, he was moved and attracted by the figures of athletes such as Li Jiajun and Yang Yang on the TV screen.
Since then, he has developed a great interest in ice skating, just when Jiamusi City had an amateur team for short track speed skating, and Wu Dajing seized the opportunity to join their team.
In 2007, Wu Dajing, who had outstanding achievements, was selected by the Jiangsu Short Track Speed Skating Team, and he entered the provincial team training and competition, but what he did not expect was that the Jiangsu Short Track Speed Skating Team was disbanded two years later, so Wu Dajing became an athlete in the Jilin Provincial Winter Sports Management Center.
Another year later, in 2010, Wu Dajing was finally able to enter the national team, that year he was 16 years old, in the high-intensity training of the national team, Wu Dajing's ice skating talent was completely stimulated, although it was many times more arduous than before, but his technical level also rose in a straight line.
From 2013 to 2017, Wu Dajing has played an amazing performance in the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, Short Track Speed Skating World Cup and other events for many consecutive times, and won many gold medals, becoming the new generation leader of the mainland men's short track speed skating in one fell swoop.
In 2018, at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Wu Dajing broke the world record with a time of 39.584 seconds in the men's 500m short track speed skating event and won the championship strongly. Wu Dajing thus became the world record holder for the men's 500 meters in short track speed skating.
This is the first gold medal won by the Chinese team at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and it is also the first Olympic gold in the history of the mainland men's short track speed skating, that moment, is an epoch-making moment, since then, the mainland men's group has a stronger confidence in short track speed skating.
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics a few days ago, the Chinese team composed of Wu Dajing and Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin, Ren Ziwei and Zhang Yuting won the gold medal in the short track speed skating men's and women's 2000-meter mixed relay race, which was also the first gold medal of the Chinese delegation at the Winter Olympics, which greatly boosted the morale of the mainland Olympic athletes.
Wu Dajing on the field is a genius, and the opponents around him have changed batch after batch, and only he is still one of the top players on the field. He is admired not only by Chinese players, but also by players from other countries.