Believe in yourself and dare to break through (Winter Olympic telephoto)

Pictured: Wang Shiyue (left) and Liu Xinyu at a match on Feb. 14. Photo by Du Yu, Xinhua News Agency: Wang Shiyue (left) and Liu Xinyu dance on ice on February 14. Photo by Li Ye, a reporter of this newspaper

Accompanied by Chinese-style music, ice dance duo Wang Shiyue / Liu Xinyu integrated Chinese kung fu elements into the show, and presented them in the ice dance free skating arena. In this free dance, they skated very well, scoring 111.01 points, and finally ranked twelfth with a total score of 184.42 points, setting a new record for Chinese ice dancers at the Winter Olympics - the eighteenth place won by Han Bing/Yang Hui at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics.

Wang Shiyue burst into tears after the game, saying: "It's more of a relief. Liu Xinyu said: "We have slid out of the best level we can slide out at present, and we are very proud." ”

At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics four years ago, they were the only Pair of Chinese players to participate in the ice dance competition, and finally finished 22nd, failing to qualify for the free dance stage competition. They are trying to get out of the trough, just to prove themselves again in the Winter Olympic games.

In preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese Figure Skating Association teamed up with the International Skating School led by former Ice Dance Olympic champions, and Wang Shiyue/Liu Xinyu went to Canada to participate in training. In those two years, they made rapid progress.

At the beginning of training, most of the teammates in the team were world-class players, and Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu were very unconfident. Wang Shiyue said: "The coaching team understands us very well, teaches a lot of things, and lets us regain our confidence. ”

In the past four years, they have made hard efforts and encountered various challenges. Valuablely, both persevered. Especially in the past two years, affected by the epidemic, the two can only train through online classes in China, and have encountered many difficulties. Liu Xinyu said: "In the past, it took two or three days to learn the content with two ices, and it took two or three days to adjust the details continuously. When feeling tired, Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu encouraged each other. Wang Shiyue said: "The difficulty already exists, and we must strive to overcome it." ”

Standing on the field of the Winter Olympic Games, they presented two sets of programs with a very traditional Chinese style. Liu Xinyu said: "In the selection of songs, we want to show the characteristics of traditional Chinese culture to everyone. In order to let more judges and audiences 'understand', in the end we chose the soundtrack of the movie "Kung Fu Panda". ”

Among the 20 pairs who entered the free dance stage, Wang Shiyue/ Liu Xinyu was the only Asian pair. Liu Xinyu said: "We want to prove that on the world ice dance stage, Asian athletes have the strength to compete with European and American players. We are working in this direction, believing in ourselves and having the courage to break through. ”

To make a breakthrough in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, it is inseparable from the efforts of generations of ice dancers. Wang Shiyue said: "Thanks to the team and teammates, support us out of the trough. Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu have been partners since they were 12 years old, and it has been 16 years. Wang Shiyue said: "When many athletes encounter setbacks, they face them alone. I was very lucky that the two of us walked through that time together. ”

For the future, Liu Xinyu still has expectations: "We still have room to rise. We hope that through our efforts, we will bring hope and confidence to the young generation of Chinese ice dancers. ”

People's Daily (2022-02-15 10th edition)