China's Wu Dajing waved to the audience after the final of the men's 500m Group B of the short track speed skating event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cao Can
"I always treat every game as the last." —— Wu Dajing
On the evening of February 13, Jilin star Wu Dajing failed to reach the final in the 500-meter track he was most familiar with, and finally finished the first group B final, regrettably missing the podium. After the game, Wu Dajing waved to the audience. In an interview, Wu Dajing said with a little regret: "I don't know if I will participate in the world competition later." ”
Four years later, at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, will the 32-year-old Wu Dajing still be racing on the ice rink?
No one knows.
But in the Beijing first body, the world has seen his struggle, from the age of 16 to the age of 28 ice rink for gold, 12 years, three Winter Olympics, whether this will become Wu Dajing's last Winter Olympic journey, Wu Dajing's hard work, persistent struggle, will inspire the successor force of China's short track speed skating.
The first Chinese men's Winter Olympics
On November 27, 2021, China's Wu Dajing won the championship at the 2021-2022 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Huansong
On February 5, the Beijing Winter Olympics short track speed skating mixed team relay, composed of Jilin famous wu Dajing and Fan Kexin, Qu Chunyu, Ren Ziwei composed of the Chinese relay team withstood the huge pressure, Wu Dajing in the last moment of the physical limit with the super will to grit his teeth and persevere, with 2 minutes 37 seconds 348 seconds to take the lead in the collision of the line, for the Chinese delegation won the first gold medal of the Winter Olympics.
Wu Dajing also created history as the first Chinese man to win gold in two consecutive Winter Olympics.
Pulling the lens back to 2013, the fledgling Wu Dajing has already made a name for himself in the men's 500m event, becoming a regular on the podium. In the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing came to the stage of the Winter Olympics for the first time, won the silver medal in the 500-meter competition, and also won the bronze medal with his teammates in the 5000-meter relay, and won two medals on his first winter Olympic trip, And Wu Dajing began a "dream" Olympic journey.
Subsequently, Wu Dajing was crowned the world champion as he wished, becoming one of the strongest men's short track speed skating short distances in the world. In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics cycle, in the men's 500 meters event, Wu Dajing was already the "first person".
Although the outside world is very optimistic about Wu Dajing becoming the champion of the New Science and Technology Winter Olympics, in fact, this gold medal came a bit thrilling. In the previous competition, the Chinese short track speed skating team had a difficult start, failed to shoot the gold medal in many events, and the pressure on the whole team doubled, and Wu Dajing became everyone's expectation.
In the final "pressed whistle" decisive battle, the 24-year-old Wu Dajing opened fire, so that the opponent could only look at his "tail light", and the result of 39.584 seconds broke the world record and won the championship. So far, the "ace army" of China's short track speed skating has maintained the tradition of "seeing gold" at every Winter Olympics since 2002. This gold medal is also the only gold of the Chinese delegation at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
A simple wish
China's Wu Dajing competes in the men's 500m preliminaries for short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 11. Photo by Ju Huanzong, Xinhua News Agency
Another four years, entering the Beijing Winter Olympic cycle, Wu Dajing's age has also come to 28 years old, this age for athletes, I believe everyone understands what it means. In the list of Chinese short track speed skating teams, Wu Dajing is the oldest among the men's teams, and Zhang Tianyi, a Changchun teenager also from Jilin, is 10 years younger than him.
In the preparation time for the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing was far from smooth sailing, with poor results in the sub-station and ups and downs, until the last leg to win the 500-meter championship. But after all, it is the Winter Olympics held at the doorstep of the family, and local combat is the dream of every Chinese ice and snow athlete. For Wu Dajing, on the third winter Olympic trip, he not only had to face the strong impact of Liu Shaolin, Liu Shaoang and other descendants, but also face the growing age and constant injuries.
"Gritting your teeth and insisting" became something that Wu Dajing had to do. On the evening of February 5, at the home of Wu Dajing in Jiamusi, Wu Dajing's mother, Lu Yuxiang, couldn't help but cry when she saw her son cry when she was interviewed after winning the gold medal in the mixed group relay, perhaps only she could understand Wu Dajing's difficulty. "Make a delicious meal for your son with your own hands", such a simple wish, turned out to be the mother's greatest wish.
On the evening of February 13, the short track speed skating men's 500 meters, as the main event of Wu Dajing's defending title, he was trapped by the ice knife interference of South Korea's Huang Daxian, and finally the resultless overtaking could only regret to be relegated to third place and missed the final final. Seeing this scene, Lu Yuxiang was particularly calm, and in an interview with the scene, she only said four "very good", because she knew that her son had tried his best. At this moment, standing on the Olympic field is the most important thing.
The final chapter is still a prelude
China's Wu Dajing finished the semi-finals on February 13. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiong Qi
There are many labels on Wu Dajing's body, such as "National Model of Dedication and Dedication", "The Most Handsome Male Short Track Speed Skating Athlete" and so on. But his heart is always on the white ice rink, where he can find his original intention.
After the Beijing Winter Olympics mixed team relay gold, Wu Dajing shed tears after the game, because he fulfilled the promise of "giving a sample for the Chinese delegation", at this moment he expressed his inner feelings, or he could use the gold medal to make a final chapter of his Olympic career.
The men's 500m single event failed to defend the title, Wu Dajing was unusually calm after the game, and did not tangle with Huang Daxian's "bright ice knife", and the most said was only "regret". "Maybe a year ago, my goal was to compete for gold, but over time, my goals have changed, I want to get good results, but we have to face reality, for a while maybe the goal is to advance the Olympics, coaches and teammates have told me, just enjoy the Olympics."
"Enjoying the Olympics" is a new interpretation we hear from the mouth of the 28-year-old "veteran", more like a stirring feeling from the heart.
"The Olympics are like that, anything can happen. The single event is over, now prepare for the relay, or do your best, and go all out with your teammates. The goal set for myself this year is definitely to get better results, and enjoying the game is also an important part, but it is still a bit reluctant to play. ”
Reluctantly, this was Wu Dajing's inner words. At this Winter Olympics, Wu Dajing also has a team event gold medal to strive for. In the future, what kind of choice Wu Dajing has, maybe he himself will slowly think about it after the Olympic Games.
Four years later, at the Winter Olympics, it is difficult to imagine that the 32-year-old Wu Dajing will still be able to ride on the ice rink. Two gold, two silver and one bronze and four Winter Olympic medals are the best names, but this is by no means the final chapter. Even at this moment, the Olympic record and world record of the short track speed skating men's 500 meters are still engraved with Wu Dajing's name, and in the men's 5000 meters relay on the evening of February 16, Wu Dajing and his teammates will still work hard for the golden dream.
All the final chapters are preludes.
No matter what, we must applaud our Jilin short track speed skating star Wu Dajing, whose dream is still on the way!
China Jilin Network Jike APP reporter Guo Yonghao Li Zhiming
Image from Xinhua News Agency
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