Photo by Pan Zhiwang, a reporter of this newspaper
Six years ago, when Zhao Jiawen decided to transfer from cross-country skiing to Nordic biathlon, he did not expect to become the first Person in China to participate in the Winter Olympics in this event. What was even more unexpected was that at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, he came to the "Bird's Nest" as one of the last two main torchbearers. These "impossibilities" have all become true in Beijing, the "city of the Two Olympics".
On February 9, the Nordic biathlon men's individual standard platform + 10 km cross-country skiing event of the Winter Olympics was held in Zhangjiakou, and the picture shows Zhao Jiawen flying down from the jumping platform during the competition. Xinhua News Agency
Zhao Jiawen has been practicing skiing since he was a child, and in his own words, he spends half of his time on the snow. In 2012, Zhao Jiawen was still a cross-country skier, and later, he suspended training. After the successful bid for the 2015 Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhao Jiawen's heart was ignited again. In 2016 he returned to the snow and began experimenting with Nordic biathlon.
Nordic biathlon consists of ski jumping and cross-country skiing, ski jumping tests the coordination and explosiveness of the players, and cross-country skiing tests the endurance of the players, and also requires the athletes to have a certain strength. How to become an all-around athlete is a difficult problem that every Nordic biathlete athlete has to overcome. Before coming into contact with Nordic biathlon, Zhao Jiawen, despite his experience in cross-country skiing, was very unfamiliar with ski jumping. When he first started training, he didn't even have a full set of ski jumping equipment. There was no springboard or platform shoes, so he wore alpine shoes and alpine boards to train.
The psychological test is even more severe, and the platform jumper has to fly more than 100 meters at a high altitude after jumping, which can be called the "game of the brave". Ordinary people will have weak legs just walking on the high platform. Zhao Jiawen recalled this stage of overcoming fear, saying that at that time he wanted to jump, but when he reached the starting point, his body could not move. "This is not something that can be made up by physical fitness or strength, you can only overcome psychological obstacles by yourself, little by little." Zhao Jiawen said.
He has not returned home in 6 years since he started practicing Nordic biathlon in 2016, and because of the difficulty of the project, his teammates have shrunk from the initial 20 to only 5 people. With a momentum of fighting with himself to the end, Zhao Jiawen persisted. Just as he was sprinting all his way to the Winter Olympics, an accident occurred. During a training session, Zhao Jiawen was injured. During the 8 months of rest, his legs could not move at all, he felt that he might not have a chance to participate in the Winter Olympics, and when he was depressed, he even thought about giving up. After convalescence, although Zhao Jiawen's leg injury recovered, "his body seemed to be out of control, and he could not jump when standing in front of the jump platform."
Coach Ge Da is Zhao Jiawen's strongest backing. During their recuperation, the two have been in contact. After the leg injury healed, the two studied the training plan together. "I don't have to talk, he gives me a look and I know what he means." Zhao Jiawen described the coach this way.
After experiencing injuries, Zhao Jiawen's mentality after returning is more calm and his training requirements are more stringent. He always moved towards one goal: to participate in the Winter Olympics. On November 26, 2021, Zhao Jiawen finished 22nd in the Intercontinental Cup men's individual standard platform + 10 km cross-country skiing event held in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, locking in a Winter Olympic seat, and Chinese Nordic athletes stepped on the Olympic field for the first time.
At the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhao Jiawen and Diniger Yilamujiang were selected as the last two main torchbearers. Recalling the scene of standing in the center of the "Bird's Nest" holding a torch, Zhao Jiawen's excitement overflowed into words: "I am particularly proud and excited, and until now I have a driving force in my heart. ”
After completing the task of the opening ceremony, Zhao Jiawen immediately returned to the Zhangjiakou Division for final preparations. According to the rules of ski jumping and Nordic biathlon, Zhao Jiawen qualified for the mixed team event of ski jumping, which is also one of the 7 new events of the Winter Olympic Games. On the 7th, Zhao Jiawen made his winter Olympic debut. He made his last appearance out of four Chinese players, jumping 74 meters and scoring 60.7 points. Although the results were average, the Chinese team failed to reach the final round, but Zhao Jiawen was given the opportunity to practice on the Olympic platform. On February 9, the Nordic biathlon men's individual standard platform + 10 km cross-country skiing event decided the first gold medal, in the ski jump, Zhao Jiawen jumped 81 meters, scored 59.5 points, ranking 42nd. At the end of cross-country skiing, Zhao Jiawen's time was 33:29.8, ranking 43rd. Regardless of the final result, becoming the first Chinese Nordic biathlete Olympian, Zhao Jiawen of the Beijing Winter Olympics will surely remember it for life.
Source: Beijing Evening News reporter Li Yuanfei Chen Jiakun Deng Fangjia
Process Edit: u060
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