The picture shows Zhao Dan. Courtesy of Hohhot Municipal Government
BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- "I was a little confused when I learned that I was a flag bearer. Zhao Dan's words were very true.
For a young man who is not yet 20 years old, he can serve as the flag bearer of the opening ceremony of the Chinese delegation on his first trip to the Winter Olympics, and the weight of this honor can be imagined.
In the first and second rounds of the women's steel frame bobsleigh competition of the Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 11th, Zhao Dan, a "post-00" youngster, temporarily ranked fourth with a time of 2 minutes 04.66 seconds in two rounds.
In the face of everyone's attention, Zhao Dan wanted to focus more on the game.
On the evening of the 12th, the fourth round of the women's steel frame snowmobile competition of the Beijing Winter Olympics came to an end, and Zhao Dan finally ranked 9th with a time of 4 minutes 09.52 seconds.
This Year's Winter Olympics is the first time that a Chinese women's steel frame snowmobile has appeared at the Winter Olympics. With persistence and maturity beyond his peers, Zhao Dan made the debut of the Chinese team gain a lot of praise.
From athletics to steel frame snowmobiles
Childhood experiences
Due to the late start of the steel frame snowmobile in China, many players are "cross-border" from other projects, and Zhao Dan is one of them.
Born in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia in 2002, Zhao Dan showed a talent for sports from an early age.
In 2016, Zhao Dan, who was less than 14 years old, entered Hohhot Experimental Middle School through sports selection and was selected for the athletics team to practice the triple jump.
Running, swinging arms, long jump, these basic actions, Zhao Dan has to repeat thousands of times a day.
"She was tall and explosive, and she caught her eye at first sight. She started training with me in 2016 and later changed to long jump and triple jump. This is Zhao Dan's enlightenment coach Zhang Xin's first impression of her.
It is known in the track and field arena
Hard training allowed Zhao Dan to start making small achievements in the athletics field.
In August 2018, Zhao Dan represented Hohhot in the 14th Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Games and won two gold medals.
It was this contest that made more professionals start to notice this explosive girl.
In September, the Chinese steel frame snow team cross-border cross-border selection of materials, the training team coach threw an olive branch to Zhao Dan.
Embark on a journey on a steel-framed snowmobile
At that time, "steel frame snowmobile" was still a relatively unfamiliar term in China.
A difficult problem was thus placed in front of Zhao Dan and his family: should we continue to deepen the track and field projects that have achieved results, or find another way in the relatively unpopular steel frame snowmobile project?
Zhao Dan himself hesitated, after all, this was a completely unfamiliar field to her.
However, the coach in charge of the selection of the Chinese steel frame snow team recognized Zhao Dan's physical fitness and insisted that she was a good seedling for the rare steel frame snow train.
This persistence touched Zhao Dan and her family.
"At that time, Zhao Dan and we consulted with people in the industry, and the project was not as dangerous as imagined, so we agreed." Zhao Dan's father recalled.
After repeated communication, Zhao Dan decided to try it out at the steel frame snowmobile training team.
"My weight and age didn't actually meet the national team selection criteria, so the mentality at that time was that it was good to go out and meet the world." Zhao Dan's experience in the audition is quite dramatic.
As a result, in that competition, Zhao Dan ranked first in the comprehensive score of the test project and broke through the box to enter the national team.
In this way, the trajectory of her life changed completely.
The picture shows Chinese player Zhao Dan in the competition. China News Service reporter He Penglei photographed
In 2018
When 17-year-old Zhao Dan came to the national women's steel frame snow team, he was the youngest athlete in the team.
Faced with unknown territory, if Zhao Dan wants to gain a firm foothold in the team, he needs more than others to pay.
With the help of the coaching team, Zhao Dan overcame difficulties such as psychological fear and unfamiliar environment. Slowly, she found herself in love with the "sport of the brave."
Snowmobile genes in the bones
2019-2020
It seems that he was born with a snowmobile gene in his bones, and after completing the "cross-border", Zhao Dan soon began to cash in on his talent.
The speed of progress is amazing.
In the 2019 Youth Olympic Games Qualification Tournament, Zhao Dan defeated the strong Canadian players and won the first place in the two Youth Olympic Qualification Tournaments.
On January 20, 2020, the Women's Steel Frame Bobsleigh Race of the Winter Youth Olympics was held at the St. Moritz Ski Resort in Switzerland, and Zhao Dan finished 7th in front of many experienced athletes.
The foreign teachers of the China Steel Frame Snow Team were very satisfied with Zhao Dan's debut in the competition.
In 2021
On December 3, in the Intercontinental Cup of Steel-framed Snowmobiles in Innsbruck, Austria, Zhao Dan ran a time of 54.07 seconds in the first round and 54.18 seconds in the second round, both ranking first, and finally won the championship with a total time of 1:48.25.
This year is a sprint year for preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Zhao Dan has participated in 5 World Cups and 2 Intercontinental Cup competitions, and the intensive schedule has allowed her to grow rapidly.
"No matter who the opponent is, I only compare myself!" Between the words, it is Zhao Dan who shows maturity that does not match her age, and this is her advantage.
Make your Winter Olympic debut
In 2022
In the previous selection competition of the steel frame ski car national team held at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Zhao Dan won the first place in four skids in the two competitions, and finally won the Winter Olympics ticket with the first overall score.
The 19-year-old ushered in his first trip to the Winter Olympics.
Being the standard-bearer of the opening ceremony of the Chinese delegation was a bonus.
As she walked into the National Stadium holding the national flag, relatives in her hometown were waiting in front of the TELEVISION.
The child trained very the steel frame snowmobile to have good results. I am particularly happy that she was able to represent her country at the Winter Olympics. Watching my granddaughter who became a standard-bearer on TV, I was particularly excited. Zhao Dan's grandfather choked up a little.
The picture shows Zhao Dan in the game. China News Service reporter He Penglei photographed
February 11, 2022
On February 11, the women's steel frame bobsleigh event at the Beijing Winter Olympics was contested in the first two rounds of the national bobsleigh center "Snow Dragon", and China's Zhao Dan ranked 4th with a total of 2:04.66 in two rounds.
"The Winter Olympics are stressful for me, it's more tense, and it's the kind of tension in my heart." For a young player who debuted on the stage of the Winter Olympics, Zhao Dan's words may be the truest monologue in his heart.
But even so, she still showed a strong ability to adjust.
"I didn't feel good after the first round, and when I looked at the results, I couldn't believe that I was in third place. After two rounds, I am 4th, I have a bottom in my heart, and I believe that there is still room for improvement in the last two rounds. ”
February 12, 2022
On the evening of the 12th, the fourth round of the women's steel frame bobsleigh competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics ended, and Zhao Dan finally ranked 9th.
At the age of 19, on his first trip to the Winter Olympics, Zhao Dan gained too much.
For her, the future is endless.
The story of Zhao Dan and the steel frame snowmobile has just begun. (End)