Beijing, February 11 (Xinhua) -- In the semi-finals of the men's 5,000-meter relay of short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics on the evening of February 11, China's Li Wenlong fell at the end of 11 laps before the race. After the game, Li Wenlong said that the Canadian team members stepped on their ice knives when they accelerated, and the first thing they wanted after falling down was to get up and try to catch up.
China's Li Wenlong (first from left) falls during a match on Feb. 11. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yuwei
After the collision, Li Wenlong lost his center of gravity, leaned forward, and fell to the ice with his left hand. When Li Wenlong collided with inertia on the protective cushion on the sideline, he quickly climbed up and extended his right hand and clapped his hands with the next stick Ren Ziwei to complete the handover.
China's Ren Ziwei (left) relays with Li Wenlong, who fell during the match. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ma Ning
In the relay match of the night, the Chinese team was finally directly awarded to the final, and the same group of Canadian and Italian teams advanced together, and no other penalties were issued in this game.
Li Wenlong said in the mixed interview area after the game: "At that time, I added two steps after bending over Canada, and I pedaled in the straight line, and the Canadian team Dion's left foot also stepped in, and when I stepped on the knife, I directly lost my center of gravity, and then I fell with a twist of my foot." ”
Talking about the mood when he fell, Li Wenlong described: "At that time, I was in a hurry, thinking of getting up quickly and continuing to slide, trying to catch up with the best. I don't know what the final situation was, but I still tried my best to slide. ”
For the accident that night, Wu Dajing said after the game: "The game process is still a bit chaotic, we thought we could always keep the lead skating. I didn't expect an accident in the middle, but everyone wanted to chase it quickly. ”
Wu Dajing (second from left) from China competes in a match on Feb. 11. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
Ren Ziwei said: "This is very normal in the game, it is a collision that is inadvertently generated. I had a similar situation in the men's 500m semi-finals of the short track speed skating World Cup in Hungary. ”
Speaking of the mood when the accident occurred, Ren Ziwei said: "At that time, I didn't have time to think too much, so I thought about taking the baton at the first time. ”
For the next relay final, Ren Ziwei said: "The 5 teams in the final are likely to rush to gold. We still have to reduce our mistakes and skate a little more proactively. ”
The men's 5,000m relay final for short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics will be held on the evening of February 16, with five teams from China, Canada, Italy, South Korea and the Russian Olympic Committee competing together.
Editors: Wang Hengzhi, Wu Bowen, Zheng Daojin, Zhang Xijin (Intern)