On the evening of February 13, Beijing time, the short track speed skating project of the Beijing Winter Olympics ushered in a focus battle at the Capital Gymnasium, and in the men's 500-meter competition, Wu Dajing of the Chinese team regretted being out of the semifinals and failed to defend his title in the project. The other two players, Ren Ziwei and Sun Long, were also out of the quarter-finals early. As the defending champion, everyone expected Wu Dajing to win the championship in the 500 meters event again at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but due to the decline in his own strength and competitive status, Wu Dajing still failed to become the first person in history.
The men's 500m is the only defending event for the Chinese short track speed skating team, and at the last Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing, who was in full shape, defeated South Korea's Hwang Daehyun to win the first Olympic gold medal of his career. In the World Cup sub-station before the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing won the championship in the last leg of the competition, which once again saw the hope of the Chinese team defending the title in the project. It is worth mentioning that IOC President Bach, Sochi Winter Olympics Speed Skating Olympic Champion Zhang Hong and Beijing Winter Olympics Speed Skating Men's 500m Champion Gao Tingyu all rushed to the scene to watch the game.
In the quarter-finals, Wu Dajing, Ren Ziwei and Sun Long played hand in hand. Ren Ziwei and Sun Long, who appeared in the first group, failed to seize the opportunity, and finally both missed the semi-finals. Wu Dajing played in the second group, and after grabbing the first place at the start, he slid faster and faster, advancing to the semi-finals as the first place. Three players competed, and only one of them reached the semifinals, which made many people sweat for the Chinese short track speed skating team.
In the semi-finals, Wu Dajing and Hungary's Liu Shaoang and South Korea's Huang Daxian entered the same group. After the start, Wu Dajing ranked third, Liu Shaoang took the lead, in the last two laps, Wu Dajing did not seize the excellent opportunity to surpass his opponents, and finally ranked third and did not qualify for the final. Losing the gold medal in the men's 500m event was a huge blow to the Chinese short track speed skating team. Four years ago, Wu Dajing won the first Olympic gold medal in the event for the Chinese men's team in Pyeongchang.
Four years later in Beijing, Wu Dajing and Ren Ziwei failed to defend the gold medal for the team. This is the last Winter Olympics of Wu Dajing's career, and he is already 27 years old, perhaps choosing to retire after the Winter Olympics. Missing the gold medal in the men's 500 meters at the Beijing Olympics also means that the world's men's short track speed skating short distance has officially changed the dynasty. After that, Wu Dajing, Ren Ziwei and Sun Long will also participate in the final of the men's 5000m relay, hoping that several young men can seize the time to adjust and welcome the arrival of the final showdown with a new attitude!
(Luo Treasurer)