On the evening of February 11, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics men's steel frame bobsleigh project was decided at the National Bobsleigh Center. Two Chinese contestants, Yan Wengang and Yin Zheng, finished third and fifth with their excellent results in the final round of skating. The bronze medal won by Yan Wengang is the first medal of the Chinese Winter Olympic team in the slide event.
Yan Wengang standing on the podium
After the game, Yan Wengang walked into the mixed interview area wearing a five-star red flag, and the 24-year-old Tianjin boy did not get more excited, first of all, he couldn't stop blaming himself: "I was satisfied with the performance of the last round, and the first three rounds were too conservative!" I think I've skied more than 500 times on this track, and I can win them with normal play. This kind of thinking made me a little slack, coupled with the psychology is not strong enough, I wanted to play normally, but I did not even do this, the first three rounds of a lot of mistakes that should not be, which also forced me to let go of the last round. With a completely selfless mental mind, I slipped out of my fastest time on this track, 1:02:15. ”
Yan Wengang finished third after two rounds on the first day, but was only 0.75 seconds away from the first-place German player. He admitted that after the first day of competition, although there were some mistakes, the results came out and he felt that he still had hope to compete for the gold medal. Foreign skaters try to skate during the day, and they do not ski through the track of "Snow Dragon" at night. Therefore, the two rounds on the evening of the 11th are the moments that determine the championship.
Yan Wengang in the game
"I wanted to show my best, so I was resting for 24 hours before the race, but I couldn't calm down, a lot of thoughts jumped out of my head, I couldn't concentrate, which also led to my third round skating very poorly, this lap was only sixth in the whole race, I was particularly disappointed. In the fourth round, I could only open up. Before the game, I mobilized myself playfully, slapped my muscles, jumped, adjusted well, and finally spelled out the bronze medal. Yan Wengang recalled the last round of super level play, and his face was full of happy smiles.
"Thanks to my teammate Yin Zheng, who skated very well in the fourth round and inspired me to show my best. Our team is very hard, sometimes in the early hours of the morning to train, everyone is trying their best, want to practice a few more laps, let themselves be more confident. In the end, I didn't get a better ranking, or I wasn't mentally strong enough and I didn't have enough experience in the game. Yan Wengang said that many German players have been engaged in this project for more than ten or twenty years, their psychological quality is excellent, after so many competitions, they have achieved no distraction, which is what Chinese players lack.
Yan Wengang celebrated after the game
For the color of the medal, Yan Wengang replied: "It should be said that this achievement has not lived up to everyone's expectations, after all, we have worked hard for so long, that is, we hope to stand on the podium." When I confirmed that I had won the bronze medal, I thought everyone in the audience was very happy. ”
Yin Zheng, who finished fifth, said after the match, "Before the start of the final round, I tried to relax myself, enjoy the game more, and don't do unnecessary control, so that I could play at the best level." ”
Yan Wengang was interviewed by reporters after receiving the award
He said that he would like to call his mother now, "I didn't go home for the Spring Festival in 5 years, because this time is the season of steel frame snowmobiles, basically training and racing abroad." I miss her a lot. However, in the future, we have the 'Snow Dragon' track, which can train and race more in China, which will also be of great help to our level. ”