(Beijing Winter Olympics) Chinese figure skating "tiger" mouth to win gold
Beijing, 20 Feb (China News Service) Title: China's figure skating "tiger" wins gold
China News Service reporter Zhang Su
It is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Lunar Calendar and another Olympic gold medal. The Chinese figure skating team once again won the gold medal at the mouth of the "tiger".
On February 19, the Figure Skating Competition of the Beijing Winter Olympics ended, and the last gold medal in the single "pair skating" was spent with the Chinese duo Sui Wenjing/Han Cong.
In the last Lunar Year of the Tiger, the Chinese duo Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo won the first figure skating Winter Olympic gold medal in history for the Chinese team at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Now, the pair of "ice couples" are on the sidelines to witness the disciples replicating their glory.
On the evening of February 19, Sui Wenjing/Han Cong reached the top of the pair skating competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the moment when the results were announced, Zhao Hongbo, who was sitting in the waiting division accompanying them, shouted with his arms and red eyes. Shen Xue, who was standing not far away, also rushed over and hugged each other tightly.
In fact, in the last Winter Olympics, the "Sui-Han combination" was regarded as a favorite to win the championship. At that time, the two deliberately set the free skating repertoire as "Turandot", paying tribute to it with the representative works of Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo. Zhao Hongbo also had high hopes for his disciple Chong Jin. However, only 0.43 points away, the younger generation failed to "take over the baton" as desired.
If in Pyeongchang it is "no one sleeps tonight", looking further ahead, China's pair skating project has been in a "low" since the Vancouver Winter Olympics. For example, in the Sochi arena, Chinese players did not even get on the podium, which was questioned for a while.
Zhao Hongbo, who served as the head coach of the Chinese figure skating team's double group after retiring, was under such pressure. He confessed today that for a long time, what he and Shen Xue wanted to do most was to push the younger generation onto the highest podium of the Winter Olympics.
But that's not easy. Take this Winter Olympics, Sui Wenjing / Han Cong, in addition to overcoming the pressure of home games and high expectations, also have to experience the waiting caused by the schedule. In this case, they have to "break through".
After the short program, the runners from 2nd to 4th were from the Russian Olympic Committee team, and the 3 pairs performed in the free skating "a mountain is still higher than a mountain". Even Zhao Hongbo admitted, "Before the game, I thought that this gold medal might be lost."
However, Zhao Hongbo said that it was the "persecution" from powerful opponents that made Sui Wenjing/Han Cong fight backwaters. In fact, the "Sui-Han Combination", which debuted at the last time in this game, made a difficult move that other contestants had not yet fully mastered, "twisting around", and interpreted the personal experience of mutual support to the fullest, and won the gold medal deservedly.
Sui Wenjing said after the game that compared to Pyeongchang, the medals were changed color, which was a goal they had set four years ago. "This medal belongs to everyone who supports and helps us." She said.
On the evening of the 19th, an award ceremony was held on the spot. After the ceremony, Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo was invited to the ice rink. Sui Wenjing gave Shen Xue a bouquet of flowers, and Han Cong also hung a heavy gold medal on Zhao Hongbo's chest, and the master and apprentice looked at each other and smiled.
Passing on the torch is both a tribute to the past. At this Winter Olympics, the veteran coach Yao Bin also participated in coaching the Chinese figure skating team. He was the first athlete to represent China in the Figure Skating Competition at the Winter Olympics and is known for developing the top three pairs of Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo, Pang Qing/Tong Jian, and Zhang Dan/Zhang Hao at the same time. Zhao Hongbo invited his mentor back to "sit in town" this time, which strengthened his confidence in winning gold.
Continuing to move forward is to open up the future. Sui Wenjing still remembers watching Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo compete at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics when she was young, and she aspired to become a figure skater. Now that she has achieved the gold medal "Grand Slam" in double skating, she said that she will continue to challenge herself like an idol and continue to write a legendary story, "hoping to move more people".
In the Year of the Tiger in the Lunar Calendar, the golden memory left for the Chinese figure skating team is added. However, the 5th team competition, the 9th men's single skating, the 12th ice dance, the 27th women's single skating, overall look at the "report card" of this Winter Olympics, the revitalization of China's figure skating project still has a long way to go.
On February 19, the Figure Skating Competition of the Beijing Winter Olympics ended, and the last gold medal in the single "pair skating" was spent with the Chinese duo Sui Wenjing/Han Cong. Photo by Cui Nan, a reporter from China News Service
Some commentators have said that the Chinese figure skating community should seize the opportunity of Sui Wenjing/Han Cong to win the championship, gather consensus, work together, and accelerate the pace of progress. Let the gold medal won by the "tiger" mouth turn into a silent "rain" to nourish the development of figure skating. (End)