In 12 years, four Winter Olympics, time passed in the air and flipped again and again. Xu Mengtao, 31, Jia Zongyang, 30, and Qi Guangpu, 31, regrettably passed by the gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Chinese team Xu Mengtao (center) and teammates Qi Guangpu (left) and Jia Zongyang after the beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing aerial skills mixed team final on February 10. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang took the photo
After the game, Jia Zongyang, who made a mistake, blushed his eyes and choked and murmured: "What I chose is the action that I am most sure of, I have been practicing it every day for four years, but the moment I landed, I don't know, why can't I control it, I don't know..."
Seeing that Jia Zongyang had made a mistake and blamed himself, Xu Mengtao rushed up and hugged him. She later said: "Because we know that he must be more upset than us at this moment." We are teammates, we have struggled together for so many years for our dreams, we will not deny his excellence because of a (unstable) front flip. ”
Chinese players Xu Mengtao (right) and Jia Zongyang hug after a freestyle skiing aerial skill mixed team final at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Feb. 10. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang took the photo
No one can deny the excellence of the three veterans. Four Olympic games, they are already their own heroes!
Starlight doesn't ask passers-by, it's a journey of inheritance.
Aerial skills have always been the strength of the Chinese team in the snow event. Since Xu won the silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, the Chinese team has won a total of 1 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze in the Winter Olympics. At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Han Xiaopeng won the championship in one fell swoop, and achieved a breakthrough of "zero" gold medal for the Chinese team in the snow sports of the Winter Olympics.
Since then, generations of aerial technicians have continued to attack the highest podium of the Winter Olympics, but whether it is Li Nina, Xu Mengtao, Jia Zongyang or Zhang Xin, they have all missed the gold medal. From the first time he entered the Winter Olympic Games to his fourth expedition, the teammates around Xu Mengtao, Jia Zongyang and Qi Guangpu changed and changed. They also had the idea of giving up, but in the end they held the torch that their predecessors had received and continued to move forward.
Even if you are wounded all over the body, you have never lost the courage to fight again, which is also a journey of perseverance.
Behind the beautiful and thrilling pictures of the aerial skills competition, accompanied by the sweat and tears of the athletes, the veteran's perseverance is particularly difficult. After the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Xu Mengtao underwent surgery on both knee joints. Xu Mengtao, who always had a smile on her face, had already scarred her legs.
On February 10, Jia Zongyang of the Chinese team competed in the mixed team final of freestyle skiing aerial skills at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu
Jia Zongyang also suffered a major injury, and 22 steel nails were implanted in his legs to make him the "Iron Man" in people's mouths. But he didn't back down, but fought the injury for three years, and now it's a miracle to be on the field.
Qi Guangpu, who failed to hit the podium of the Winter Olympics three times, was discouraged and once chose to retire, but in the end he could not resist the call of his heart and returned to continue fighting.
Although it is hard work, blowing out the wild sand to gold, this is still a journey about harvesting.
In preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle, affected by the epidemic, the Chinese Air Skills Team has been away from the international arena for nearly 22 months. In the only two mixed team matches in this season's World Cup, the Chinese team led by Xu Mengtao won all the championships. Xu Mengtao also became the first person in the world cup in the project with 27 races.
Don't judge heroes in terms of success or failure. Moreover, for them, the Beijing Winter Olympics are not over. Xu Mengtao announced at the post-match press conference: "We still have individual competitions in the back, we have to strive to highlight the siege, we still have a chance!" ”
No matter what the outcome, everyone is their own hero on the road to the struggle for their dreams!