Source: Junction
"Am I number one?" Am I number one? I won at my doorstep! On the evening of February 14, after Xu Mengtao successfully defended the title in the women's freestyle ski final, she screamed excitedly and choked up, and many spectators cried.
Xu Mengtao wins gold in the freestyle skiing women's aerial skills This newspaper reporter Wan Chengpeng / photo
As the record holder of the highest scoring score for women's freestyle skiing aerial skills who have won 28 world championships and are currently ranked first in the world in total points, Xu Mengtao is regarded as one of the most powerful winners of this Winter Olympics, "no surprise" to win gold, why did she cry like this?
Xu Mengtao, 31, has been practicing aerial skills for 20 years. She has participated in 14 seasons and 70 World Cups, and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is her fourth Olympic journey: at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, she finished 6th; at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, she won a silver medal due to nervousness; and at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, she fell on the snow by mistake and finished 9th. This time, the ligaments in both legs were broken, and the meniscus of both legs had been cut off by 70%, and she finally fulfilled her dream of a gold medal at the doorstep of her home.
Gong Lijiao, an Olympic shot put champion and also a veteran, sent a blessing to Xu Mengtao for the first time: "People must have dreams, what if they are realized?" We all made it happen. ”
Fan Kexin kisses the ice after the short track speed skating women's 3000m relay
The veteran is not old, and Fanghua will always stay on the ice and snow. After the Beijing Winter Olympics short track speed skating women's 3000m relay Team China won the bronze, Fan Kexin turned back, knelt down, kissed her beloved ice rink, and smiled and left. As the "new leader of China's short track", Fan Kexin has already won many World Cups and World Championships, and lacks an Olympic gold medal. From Sochi to Pyeongchang to Beijing, Fan Kexin, who has participated in the Olympic Games for three times, won the first gold medal for China in the mixed relay, and said excitedly, "I have waited for this gold medal for too long, everyone is training hard every day, there is blood in the throat, we are the best!" "This gold medal and her insistence on the dream, in the most brilliant years of each other's glory, each other's achievements."
Italy's Fontana successfully defended her title in the women's 500m of short track speed skating
In the women's short track speed skating 500 meters, Arianna Fontana, a blue-clad Italian, barely gave her opponents the opportunity to surpass, leading the way and successfully defending her title. She also helped Italy win the silver medal in the mixed relay at the Winter Olympics, and also participated in the 1000 meters, 1500 meters and 300 meters relay competitions. Many people may not believe that the Italian athlete, who has a strong position in today's women's short track speed skating, is already a 31-year-old "five dynasties elder" of the Winter Olympics, and has won a total of 11 Olympic medals. Wang Meng, a famous Chinese short-track speed skater who once fought alongside her, sighed, "When I saw her, I felt that I had retired early." ”
Chasing dreams does not ask about age, because people with dreams are always young.
Snowboard U-shaped track skills world famous, American sean White
Four years ago, White, a famous player in the snowboard U-shaped track project and an American athlete, said after winning the championship: "Yes, I am old. I hope to continue the sport. Although the young players put a lot of pressure on me, I hope to meet you again in Beijing. Four years later, the 35-year-old White made good on his promise to come to the Winter Olympics for the fifth time and completed a difficult 1440-degree turn during the game. Although he missed the fourth Olympic gold medal, there is no doubt that White used his persistence to refresh people's understanding of the legend.
Claudia Peschstein, the oldest female Winter Olympics in history, a German speed skater
Anyone who has a dream is remarkable. On February 5, at the speed skating women's 3000m final of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Germany's Claudia Pechtenstein finished with a time of 4:17.16, ranking first from the bottom, but she still set a record - 49 years old, the oldest female Winter Olympics in history; eight times, the most female athlete in history. In the past seven editions, she has won a total of 5 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze, and on the day she played in the Winter Olympics, the record she held for 20 years was broken by the youngsters. She raised her arms and smiled as she crossed the finish line, "I was smiling and sliding across the finish line, I achieved my goal". She was joined by Akhnar Adak, a 22-year-old from mainland China, who paid tribute to the veteran, who was 27 years older than her.
When on the field, the dream of veterans is no longer to be perfect, but to love and move forward. Fate whispered to the warriors: You can't withstand the storm. On the snow and ice, they interpreted it with persistence and love: I will always be the teenager in the storm. Ice and snow are hard, just like them, not afraid of the way forward; ice and snow are pure, just like them, forever young.
Xinhua Daily intersection reporter Yao Yiyi
Image source: Xinhua News Agency