In the women's hockey final at the Beijing Winter Olympics, 30-year-old Canadian women's ice captain Mary-Philippe Pauline set a new record – scoring in the ice hockey final of four consecutive Winter Olympics.
On February 17, at the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Match at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Canada's Mary-Philippe Pauling celebrated her victory.
This is an extremely difficult record to surpass, and there are high demands on the individual ability and team strength of the players, and no hockey player has achieved this achievement except her.
After 8 years, Pauline led the Canadian team to the highest podium of the Winter Olympics again, which was also the first Winter Olympic gold medal she won after becoming the captain of the Canadian team.
"I'm so happy to be able to win the gold medal this time after losing the final of the last Winter Olympics. The experience of 2018 was really painful, and after that, we realized that we should continue to improve, both as a team and as individuals, and now, I feel that those efforts have paid off. Pauline said.
4 Winter Olympics, 3 gold medals. From the "genius girl" to the team's "fixed sea god needle", Pauline has gradually become an iconic figure in the Canadian women's ice hockey industry through step-by-step efforts.
Canadian player Mary Philippe Pauling, right, competes with U.S. player Kayla Barnes at the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 17.
Pauline was born in March 1991 in a small town of less than 7,000 people in Quebec, Canada. In a country with a strong culture of ice and snow sports, Pauline has been exposed to skating since he was a child.
At the age of 4, Pauline began practicing figure skating, but she switched to ice hockey a year later. "I started out practicing figure skating, but I didn't really like the project, I liked hockey. Mom and Dad saw my love for hockey and created a lot of opportunities for me to play hockey. Pauline said.
Pauline's brother was two years older than her and had been practicing ice hockey since childhood, so Pauline had been playing ice hockey with a group of boys since childhood, and at first the boys had doubts about whether she could keep up with their rhythm, but after seeing Pauline's performance on the ice rink, they all gave a thumbs up.
When Pauline was 10 years old, he watched the Winter Olympics on television for the first time. At the time, Canada beat the United States in the women's ice final to win the team's first women's ice hockey Winter Olympic gold medal. Pauline asked his mother, "Why are they all crying?" Why are you crying too? Mom told her, "If you keep practicing hockey, you'll know why one day." ”
Eight years later, Pauline, the youngest member of the Canadian women's ice team at the time, scored two goals in the final, helping Canada achieve a three-game Winter Olympic championship. "When I got the gold medal, I cried, and I finally understood what my mother said to me." Pauline said.
At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, with the team behind, Pauline scored with 54.6 seconds left before the end of the game, equalized, and scored the winning goal in extra time to help Canadian women's ice skating achieve the fourth consecutive Winter Olympic championship.
"When I was a little girl, winning the Winter Olympic gold medal was always my ultimate goal. At the Vancouver Winter Olympics, it's unbelievable to win a title on your own doorstep. Then there was Sochi in 2014, with a second gold medal, and to be honest, if I had to write a fairy tale, I wouldn't have thought of a more perfect result. Pauline said.
However, Pauline's fairy tales are not all smooth sailing.
In 2015, Pauline became The Canadian Women's Ice Captain. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the Canadian women's ice team she led fought against the United States in the final to a penalty, and finally lost, ending Canada's four consecutive Winter Olympic championships.
Loss is inevitable. After that, Pauline trained harder with his teammates, with the goal of getting the Winter Olympic gold medal back.
Canadian team's Mary-Philippe Pauline (left) competes in the women's ice hockey gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 17.
At the Winter Olympics, Canada broke the single Winter Olympics goal record of 48 goals set by the team in 2010 with 54 goals before the start of the final. Facing old rivals U.S. again in the final, Pauline was confident, saying: "We've waited too long for this moment and I'm feeling excited right now. ”
Pauling did not panic at all about such a big scene as the winter Olympic final, scoring two goals in a row at the end of the first quarter and the opening stage of the second quarter, giving Canada a 3:0 lead.
In the final match 3:2, after 8 years, Pauline finally won the winter olympic gold medal again.
After the game, Pauline said: "We are a very united team, from the players to the staff, everyone will sincerely congratulate for the success of others. After the 2018 Winter Olympics, these are especially important to us, and winning the gold medal today, I feel that it is all worth it. ”
The gold medal wasn't Pauline's only win at the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the opening ceremony, she was chosen as the flag bearer of the Canadian team, which is also an affirmation of her career. "It's an honor and I'm proud of it." Pauline said.
On February 17, at the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Match at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Canadian player Mary Philippe Pauling celebrated scoring goals.
Calm and calm, this is what the teammates gave Pauling. Head coach Troy Ryan said: "On the pitch, Pauline's talent and vision, as well as the way he watched the game, was something I had never encountered in my coaching career. If you want to understand the offensive technique of hockey, you just need to watch her game. She's the smartest player I've ever coached. ”
Teammate Sarah Nas, who is three years younger than her, said Pollin is not usually a good verbal person, but she still makes her teammates feel her care. Naas said: "Pauline's self-confidence is unparalleled, I think her vision is the best, always leading us forward. ”
With the increase of age, Pauline's experience has gradually increased, and now she has done a lot of work to promote ice hockey in addition to playing ice hockey.
In November 2020, to raise money for the Canadian Hockey Foundation, two North American companies launched Barbie dolls based on the images of Pauline and teammate Nas. "To be honest, I think it's particularly dreamy and unreal. I couldn't believe there would be a Barbie doll that looked like me. Hopefully we can inspire more little girls. Pauline said.
Pauline did not give a clear plan for the future, she said: "It is a pleasure to play in the team now, as for the next Olympic Games, I hope I can participate in it when the time comes." ”