Congratulations on the first crown! The Winter Olympics are fought by generations

On February 12, China's Gao Tingyu won the "Flying Man War" of the men's 500 meters of speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics, breaking the Olympic record and cutting the first gold in the history of the Chinese men's speed skating Winter Olympics. Seeing this scene, Luo Zhihuan, the 81-year-old China's first winter sports world champion and the 1500m champion of the 57th World Men's Speed Skating Championships in 1963, burst into tears. He recorded a video at home congratulating Gao Tingyu: "Proud of you! Proud of you! Also in front of the TV screen, as the standard-bearer of the Chinese sports delegation participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1980, the 72-year-old Zhao Weichang held the national flag and the Flag of the Beijing Winter Olympics, witnessing this brilliant moment.

The elderly Luo Zhihuan sent a video to congratulate Gao Tingyu

The first crown congratulated the first crown, the flag bearer witnessed the flag bearer, and the two elderly people's air blessings made countless netizens moved. Outside the stadium, Luo Zhihuan was the first torchbearer of the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch Relay, Zhao Weichang was the first torchbearer to enter the "Bird's Nest" at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, and Gao Tingyu was the flag bearer who walked in the front row of the Chinese sports delegation; on the field, Luo Zhihuan was the first world champion of China's ice and snow sports, and Gao Tingyu was the first Winter Olympic champion of Chinese men's speed skating. The age difference is up to 56 years, and the longest distance between the arenas is nearly 59 years; they are of course athletes of different eras, but what they are engaged in and what they have achieved are so consistent. As an older generation of athletes, naturally know the hardships and hardships of Gao Tingyu's daily training, and know that Gao Tingyu's good results are not easy to come by, and must have deeper feelings and resonances than ordinary audiences for this gold medal, so they will shed tears in front of the TV set and can't help but send congratulations and encouragement over the air.

When serving as the first torchbearer, the elderly Luo Zhihuan once expressed his deep affection and hoped to pass on the fighting spirit of the older generation of athletes through the Winter Olympic torch, "Our training environment at that time was very poor, relying on the quality of will and the spirit of winning glory for the motherland." Now that our training conditions are so good, young athletes must work hard and wish Chinese athletes, especially speed skaters, good results"! Zhao Weichang also made a move for the young players who were playing on the field: "This game is to fight with you, with this concept to play, in order to be able to play their own technical level better." ”

The expectations and encouragement of the two elderly people for the younger generation of athletes remind people of the history of China's participation in the Winter Olympics. Coincidentally, 42 years ago today, it was China's first participation in the Winter Olympics. On February 13, 1980, the XIII Winter Olympics were held in Lake Placid in the United States, and New China participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time. At that time, China's ice and snow sports were not yet widespread, and none of the 18 small events participated in by Chinese athletes in the end entered the top six. From the first time to participate in the Winter Olympic Games empty-handed, to the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, the Chinese delegation achieved a "breakthrough of zero" in winter Olympic medals, and then to today's Chinese athletes in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games to win gold and silver, in the past 42 years, China's ice and snow sports have never stopped moving forward. What has changed is the performance of generations of athletes, and what has not changed is the spirit of generations of athletes who will never give up and the common Chinese ice and snow dream.

What makes the two old people feel proud and proud is, of course, far from Gao Tingyu alone. From Ye Qiaobo to Zhang Hong, from Wu Dajing to Gao Tingyu, generations of new forces have taken over the baton from the hands of the older generation of athletes, and have also continued the spirit of fighting for the country, creating one moment after another to reach the top. In the Winter Olympics, it is a generation of people competing. It is from generation to generation, chasing dreams, that there is a high-burning "ice-breaking" of China's ice and snow sports.

The scene of heroes pitying each other is particularly moving, and the era of heroes is incomparably wonderful. At the Beijing Winter Olympics, a group of post-00s young players have emerged, and China's ice and snow sports can be expected in the future!

Source Beijing Evening News | Reporter Xin Yin

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