(Beijing Winter Olympics) 2 gold ending, they are short-track heroes
China News Service, Beijing, February 17 Title: 2 gold ends, they are short-track heroes
China News Service reporter Xing Chong
After all the competitions, the Chinese short track speed skating team came to the ice surface of the Capital Gymnasium on the evening of the 16th. They took a group photo together and also said goodbye to this Olympic arena with special significance.
On February 16, the short track speed skating competition of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Gymnasium. After the game, the Chinese short track speed skating team took a group photo on the ice surface of the Capital Gymnasium. Photo by Cui Nan, a reporter from China News Service
Although the short track speed skating track is only 110 meters long, it is in this lap and lap of 110 meters of gliding that they have created one glorious moment after another for China. From the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Yang Yang for China to achieve a "zero breakthrough" in the Winter Olympic gold medal, but this time won 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze, China's short track speed skating six Winter Olympics have gold medals in the account, worthy of the "ice sharp knife", worthy of the "master of the king".
Different from speed skating, which is simply a race against time, short track speed skating is very easy to have physical contact between players due to the short track distance, small corner radius, and difficult cornering, and it is also very easy to produce various accidents. It's very enjoyable because of the excitement of the game, but it is more thrilling and tense for the players.
The pressure on the Chinese team playing at home is self-evident. On the first day of the competition, they undertook the heavy responsibility of "competing for the first gold", and in the fierce mixed relay 2000 meters final, Wu Dajing took the lead in the line with a slight advantage at the last minute, winning the long-awaited gold medal for the Chinese team. On the highest podium, the elders of the Three Dynasties, Wu Dajing and Fan Kexin, burst into tears.
In the short track speed skating mixed team relay final that ended on the evening of February 5, the Chinese team composed of Wu Dajing, Ren Ziwei, Fan Kexin and Qu Chunyu took the lead in crossing the finish line and won the first gold medal for the Chinese sports delegation at the Winter Olympics. The picture shows the Chinese team players celebrating after the game. Photo by Mao Jianjun, reporter of China News Service
Another example is Zi Wei, the director of Jinde, who is the biggest surprise of China's short track speed skating in the Beijing Winter Olympic cycle. This season's World Cup four-stop race China team won a total of 4 individual gold medals, he alone won 3. Participating in the Winter Olympics for the second time, he was not only a hero in the relay to win gold, but also rode the dust in the final of the single 1000 meters, and "killed" the opponent at the last moment, becoming the first male player in China to win two gold medals in a winter Olympics.
In the men's 1000m final of short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics on the evening of February 7, China's Ren Ziwei took the lead in hitting the line and won the championship. The other two Chinese players who made it to the final, Li Wenlong and Wu Dajing, were second and fourth respectively. The picture shows Ren Ziwei celebrating the victory.
The Winter Olympics is not only a testing ground for heroes to reach the top, but also a testing ground for future heroes. In this Winter Olympics, the strength of China's short-track players has also been fully demonstrated.
After the Chinese women's team experienced the replacement of the old and the new, the overall strength of the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle declined, but the performance of the young players was still remarkable. The women's 500m was once China's short track speed skating advantage event, starting with Yang Yang, the Chinese team has achieved four consecutive Winter Olympic championships in this event, unfortunately, the Chinese athletes in the last Winter Olympics failed to qualify for the final. This time, the 22-year-old Zhang Yuting advanced to the semi-final with the advantage of the sprint stage, and although she did not win the medal in the fourth final, she has seen the hope of regaining its glory.
The Chinese women's team also spelled a bronze medal in the 3,000-meter relay, which is the second time that China's "Golden Flower" has appeared on the podium of the project at the Winter Olympics after a gap of 12 years, and they made a "superhuman" posture when awarding the award, indicating that the Chinese women's team will also return as strong.
On February 13, the Chinese team players presented the souvenir ceremony. On the same day, the women's 3000-meter relay final of the short track speed skating event of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was held at the Capital Gymnasium. The Chinese team won the bronze medal. Photo by Mao Jianjun, reporter of China News Service
There is also the "post-00s" young player Li Wenlong, in the 1000m final he successfully pinned down his opponents for his teammates, encountered the ice knife break and resolutely implemented tactics, and finally won the silver medal, but also won the public's love - he was jokingly called "the little son of the whole people". He also played a rather crucial role in the men's relay.
Of course, the game will inevitably have a time of frustration. Ren Ziwei failed to achieve the "Triple Crown" in the 1500-meter race, and the 5000-meter relay Chinese men's team accidentally fell down and missed the podium... However, in the face of the emerging European strong team and the old rival South Korea, China's short track speed skating has not fallen behind, and it has won 2 golds with South Korea and the Netherlands, which is still an ace that cannot be easily shaken.
Fan Kexin, who finally won the gold medal this time, attributed everything to the strength of the team. In the past four years, what they have endured, which is unimaginable to ordinary people, "almost every day they practice with blood in their throats." They also thanked the foreign teaching team, saying that the coaching of Kim Sun-tae and Ahn Hyun-so has greatly improved the team's technology.
Kim Sun-tae posted this big group photo of the whole team on the social platform. He said that he hopes that everyone will always support our Chinese short track speed skating team. There is also a familiar figure in the group photo: Yang Yang. On February 16, 20 years ago, it was she who achieved a "breakthrough of zero" for China's Winter Olympic gold medals. Yang Yang said that every medal and breakthrough is not only an individual achievement, but also inseparable from the joint efforts of generations.
What is a hero? Heroes do not ask about provenance, for a common goal to do their best; heroes are a kind of inheritance, inevitably have regrets, but still firmly move forward.
Heroes don't twilight. Whether it is Wu Dajing or Fan Kexin, when bidding farewell to the Winter Olympics, they said that as long as the national team needs it, they will continue to slide. Wu Dajing's resolute face as he turned away, and Fan Kexin and Bing Face kissed each other reluctantly, becoming a heroic picture that lingered in people's hearts.
On February 13, the beijing winter olympics short track speed skating women's 3000 meters relay final was held. The Chinese team, composed of Fan Kexin, Zhang Yuting, Zhang Chutong and Qu Chunyu, skated 4:03.863 in the final to win a bronze medal. The picture shows Fan Kexin kissing the ice surface after the game. Image source: ICphoto
The hero can look forward to the future. Li Wenlong said that in the next four years, he will grow from a small team member to a backbone; Zhang Yuting said that he will work harder on the road in the future.
In the words of a screen sweep during the Winter Olympics – "You can always believe in China's short track speed skating." (End)