"The second time he participated in the Winter Olympics, he went all out, didn't want anything else, and relied on strength to speak, and now, he has created the history of speed skating in China with his own strength." On the afternoon of February 12, the beijing Winter Olympics speed skating men's 500 meters final was held at the National Speed Skating Hall "Ice Ribbon", and Gao Tingyu won the gold medal with a record of 34.32 seconds, becoming the first male athlete in China to win the gold medal in speed skating at the Winter Olympics.
Gao Tingyu made history!
Gao Tingyu was born on December 15, 1997 in Yichun, Heilongjiang Province. At the age of 8, Gao Tingyu, who was still in elementary school, embarked on the ice, began to learn to skate, and showed extraordinary talent. After graduating from elementary school, with the support of his family, Gao Tingyu went to the Heilongjiang Provincial Speed Skating Team for a trial training, but he was too young to be selected. Fortunately, Liu Deguang, the coach of the Mudanjiang Speed Skating Team, has a unique vision and summons Gao Tingyu, who is very good in physical fitness and ice feeling, to the Mudanjiang City team.
Since then, Gao Tingyu has grown rapidly and easily completed the "two-level jump" of the provincial training team and the national team. In the 2015-2016 season, the 18-year-old Gao Tingyu began to participate in international events such as the Speed Skating World Cup, and he specialized in the most speed-oriented event of 500 meters with excellent explosive power and fast starting response.
35th, 12th, 20th – It took three seasons for Gao to gain a foothold in the overall world cup table for men's 500 meters and was given the opportunity to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. At that Winter Olympics, 20-year-old Gao Tingyu made a splash and finished third in the 500 meters, becoming the first Chinese male athlete to win a speed skating medal at the Winter Olympics.
"I still want to stand next to me, every athlete thinks so, I want to win the gold medal, the color is similar, but the meaning is different." After picking copper four years ago, Gao Tingyu said so.
However, during the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle, Gao Tingyu's road to preparation was full of bumps. In the 2018-2019 season, he participated in 5 races in 6 World Cups, but changed the ice blades three times in the first four races, and the best result of the season was 5th; at the beginning of 2020, Gao Tingyu's old waist injury recurred, and he temporarily returned to Heilongjiang Province due to injury in April of that year. In the following 8 months, he always maintained the "four points and one line" life in the dormitory, canteen, training ground and infirmary in the provincial team, talking about the treatment during that period, Gao Tingyu once said, "Repeated pricking (acupuncture), the back (waist) is full of blood, and it must be wiped off with alcohol before piercing." ”
In 2021, Gao Tingyu, who finally recovered from his injury, ushered in an outbreak, first skating a national record of 33.83 seconds in the China Cup Speed Skating Classic in September, and then winning his first World Cup gold medal in the first 500 meters of the World Cup in Poland in November, when Gao Tingyu tore his shirt and roared in celebration after seeing his results.
Three months later, Gao Tingyu was elected flag bearer of the Chinese sports delegation at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, when he wrote on Weibo: "It is an honor to be the standard-bearer of the Chinese delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics. Playing at home is an extremely exciting thing, and the identity of the flag bearer makes me more powerful. It's also a role I've always dreamed of. I will certainly live up to this trust and strive to show my best side on the field. ”
Today, gao Tingyu fulfilled his promise to "show his best side" by winning gold in the men's 500m final, becoming the first Chinese male athlete to win a gold medal in speed skating at the Winter Olympics.
Source Beijing Daily Client | Reporters Zhao Xiaosong and Deng Wei
Editor: Hu Decheng
Process Editor Tai Shaofeng