Reporter | Chen Dingrui
Edit | Shi Yiying
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In the fierce Olympic arena, 28-year-old Wu Dajing is a little sentimental.
On the evening of February 5, 2022, the first competition day after the opening ceremony, the first golden day of short track speed skating, Wu Dajing staged a "change of face" from smiling and comforting Fan Kexin to choking up tears.
When Ren Ziwei next to him ridiculed "only I am happy", Wu Dajing, as the "elder of the three Olympic dynasties", even had to wipe the tears from his eyes with his hands.
Finally leading the Chinese short track speed skating team to win the gold medal in the mixed team 2000m relay, Wu Dajing said: "In the past four years, I have experienced too much, the first day of today... The dream has come true! ”
On the evening of February 7, 2022, the second competition day of short track speed skating, Wu Dajing did not cry, but the whole network cried for it - in the men's 1000m final, Wu Dajing, who was obviously exhausted, firmly sealed the line, gave way to the break, and decisively told Ren Ziwei to "go!" In the end, Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong won the gold and silver medals, and Wu Dajing was the only Chinese athlete in the final who did not receive any results.
On the evening of February 13, 2022, on the night of the men's 500m final of short track speed skating, the world record and the Olympic record were written under his name, while Wu Dajing only appeared in the final of Group B, and he was the oldest player in this final. 41.157 seconds, the first to cross the line, every lap is his lead slip.
If you remove the logo of the Group B final, it is no different from Pyeongchang four years ago.
But after all, it is different, this difficult four years, from the peak to injury, from underestimation to climb up, no one knows whether the Beijing Winter Olympics will become Wu Dajing's career masterpiece.
Compared with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago, after carrying the heavy pressure, Wu Dajing's every public appearance at the Beijing Winter Olympics has shown a moderate state. The team, the family and the gratitude were always elements he never forgot to mention.
On the day he won the mixed relay championship, Wu Dajing, who set up a good position for the ice pier, said: "Thank you for the team did not give up on me, I did not give up on myself, the most important thing is that my family did not give up on me, always gave me encouragement, gave me the best support and companionship." When I was most difficult, when my state was most up and down, when I wanted to give up, they stood up and gave me encouragement and support. ”
It seems that on that very day, all the heavy pressure related to injuries and conditions in this Olympic cycle was far left behind in Wu Dajing's rapid gliding. The Capital Gymnasium, a place regarded as "home" by the Chinese short track speed skating team, the base camp where he spent countless days and nights, achieved his release and pursuit.
For Wu Dajing and the short track speed skating team, being able to open the record for the delegation on the first gold medal day is undoubtedly the most ideal result. At the very least, they don't have to be under the increasing pressure of competing for gold as they were four years ago. At that time in Pyeongchang, the short track speed skating arena was disturbed, and Wu Dajing almost did not dare to look up and walk in the Olympic Village, for fear of being recognized and talking about the topic of competing for the gold medal.
This time it was completely different, except for the familiar environment to protect, the gold medal of the mixed relay was enough to become a talisman for Wu Dajing. Otherwise, Wu Dajing, as the first man in the history of the Chinese Winter Olympics, would have dared to go to Wang Meng's live broadcast room and swing around, and also brushed two big gifts... Of course, when others were still in the circle, Wang Meng's response was also witty: "You don't want to come again, hurry back and prepare for the game!" There is also a 500-meter main event at the back! ”
Ms. Wang said she hoped Wu Dajing would be happy to skate and enjoy her trip to the Beijing Winter Olympics. And Wu Dajing, who has been dreaming of Beijing since four years ago, naturally hopes to leave the most important stroke of his Olympic career in the joyous embrace.
After four difficult years, for the 28-year-old Wu Dajing, "the real opponent is himself."
For a long time in the past, this was Wu Dajing's constant reminder to himself. From Sochi in Russia, Pyeongchang in South Korea to Beijing, China, he once again surpassed himself in the third Winter Olympic Journey of his sports career.
It's been four years since Mr. Wu's social media credentials and avatar have never changed: the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics short-track speed skating 500m champion, with his head pictured him pointing at the flag on the podium.
A month ago, when the Beijing Winter Olympics entered the ten-day countdown, Wu Dajing and other teammates of the Chinese ice and snow national team stood at the viewing platform of Tiananmen Square in the low temperature of minus two degrees Celsius and watched the solemn flag-raising ceremony. "Watching the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, I still have a different feeling in my heart. I hope that all of our athletes will do their best in the competition, play the best results, realize the dreams in their hearts, and leave no regrets. Holding a five-star red flag in his hand and standing in the center, he updated his social media after the ceremony. From that moment on, the glory of Pyeongchang time completely faded, and Wu Dajing's Beijing Olympics really began.
There is no doubt that Wu Dajing's sports career so far has been based on the two world records of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and one gold and one silver as the dividing line.
Previously, he was a wanderer who traveled through the Jiamusi Short Track Speed Skating Amateur Team, jiangsu Province team and Jilin Winter Sports Management Center, and after entering the national team, he only often used to be a sparring partner for the women's team; since then, with years of hard work in return for an Olympic gold medal, the label he enjoys is everything related to victors and achievers.
In August 2018, in the "China Under 30 Elite Rankings" released by Forbes Chinese Network, 24-year-old Wu Dajing was among them, forming the "Three Masters of the Winter Olympics" with Jin Boyang and Liu Jiayu; in the "List of Commercial Value of Winter Olympic Athletes", he also relied on the "breakthrough of Zero Chinese men's ice Olympic projects", overpowering Fan Kexin and Han Tianyu to rank first.
Up to now, the brands that intersect with Wu Dajing in various ways of cooperation have included Yili, ANTA, Gillette, Jianwang 3, Sankeshu, FAW Hongqi, Procter & Gamble China, LAMER Aquamarine Mystery, Mengke, Chopard, Evergrande Ice Spring, Ape Tutoring and Homework Help.
In addition, in addition to appearing in variety shows such as "Every Day Upward", "Run Bar Season 2", "Longing for Life Season 2", "My Boy" and "Big Ice Boy", the figure and voice of Wu Dajing also appeared in the propaganda video of the Recruitment Office of the Jiamusi Municipal People's Government.
Of course, while continuously emitting positive energy with the influence of the champion, Wu Dajing has always been firm in his belief and steadily advancing towards the highest goal in his heart, the Beijing Winter Olympics. Starting from the interview after winning the gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he always expressed his vision for the local Winter Olympics.
The cruelty of competitive sports is that the 24-year-old Wu Dajing is so angry in Pyeongchang that you can imagine how difficult it will be for him to compete in his third Winter Olympics as a veteran at the age of 28.
In this cycle, the epidemic has made it even more difficult for Wu Dajing. Affected by the new crown epidemic, the world's ice competitions have come to a standstill in 2020, and the top athletes in various countries have to readjust the pace of preparation and enter a state of closed-door training.
For Wu Dajing, who has experienced two Olympic Games and holds double-digit gold medals and world records, the last year's sprint preparation period has not been smooth, because he was hit by a serious waist injury, he did not train systematically for five months, and did not keep up with the rhythm and intensity of the large troops until September 2021.
As you get older, you can't prevent injuries, and the pressure of being a defending champion and Olympic host, the so-called difficulties and challenges can be imagined.
As it was four years ago, the short-track speed skating World Cup event that will determine eligibility for the Olympic Games is seen by all parties as an outpost for the Beijing Winter Olympics. From Beijing Station, Nagoya Station to Hungary Station, Wu Dajing, who fought everywhere from October to November 2021, once fouled and abnormal, and failed to receive the podium consecutively. He even publicly admitted on social media that he was "in poor shape" and analyzed his performance at that time.
Fortunately, Wu Dajing, who adjusted his mentality in time, finally defeated Canada's Steven Dubois and Russia's Konstantin Ivlev in the Netherlands to win the first men's 500m championship of the season. The moment he crossed the finish line, the PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist twice raised his arms and shouted, releasing the emotions that had been accumulating for a long time.
After returning from the World Cup, Wu Dajing said in an interview: "It is normal for competitive sports to have ups and downs, and I hope that my mentality can be adjusted better." The World Cup is just a test or a workout, and what we most hope for is to achieve better results at home in Beijing. We will adjust the state, strengthen training, and leave the best state for the Beijing Winter Olympics. ”
It turns out that Wu Dajing did what he said, and in the capital gymnasium in the last week, he was like returning to the internal test match nine months ago, enjoying the joy of the championship inexorably, and also happy for his teammates' dreams to come true.
"Believe in dreams, you will always be braver than you think; believe in miracles, everyone has the right to fly." 」
The lyrics sung by Wu Dajing at the CCTV New Year's Day party three years ago are probably the most perfect annotation of this Olympic journey.