On February 22, 2022, two days later, the famous German speed skating female athlete Claudia Peschstein will celebrate her 50th birthday. As the oldest participant in the Beijing Winter Olympics, she became the first athlete in the world to participate in the 8th Winter Olympics, an experience that has become a legend in itself, and also represents all those awe-inspiring veterans at the Beijing Winter Olympics!
German women's speed skater Claudia Pechtstein, 49, competed in her eighth Winter Olympics in Beijing, where she won 5 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze in previous seven Winter Olympics. Image source: Xinhua News Agency
At the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4, Peschstein walked into the Bird's Nest as the standard-bearer of the German Winter Olympic delegation. She is the German flag bearer selected by the German Olympic Committee through a national public vote before the competition from 6 candidate athletes. In the face of the jubilant scene, the long-experienced Pesh said that this scene made her feel that she had ushered in the "peak" moment of her career in China.
Although Peschstein ranked last among the 20 participants in the women's speed skating 3,000m, which began on February 5, she was still happy in the post-race interview, "I was smiling and sliding across the finish line." This sentence should be the best commentary on sportsmanship and Olympic spirit.
Peschstein said: "I came to Beijing to participate in the competition to celebrate my 8th winter Olympics, which is the history I have created, my legs are old, but my heart is still young. The worst-performing edition was the pinnacle of my career, and today my performance is more important to me than all my previous medals combined. "Someone said I'm old 10 years ago, but I'm proud because I can still compete with young people now. On February 5, the 49-year-old Peshstein was standing on the starting line with China's 22-year-old Adak, a 27-year-old athlete who symbolized the spiritual inheritance between the athletes.
Although sports competition is largely about competing for physical fitness, favoring "faster, higher, stronger" at the same time, it will also favor "younger". Athletes have a golden age, and many are called "veterans" at the age of 28. However, "the old Ji Futuo, the ambition is in a thousand miles", there has always been no lack of persistence against the current in the Olympic field.
In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, there are also many veterans like Peschstein who continue to adhere to their Olympic dreams.
Norwegian curler Tognergao, who appeared in the Ice Cube, is the oldest male athlete at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Born on December 12, 1974, Torg is participating in the Winter Olympics for the sixth time this year, and his first Winter Olympics was at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, when he won a gold medal for Norway.
In the short track speed skating competition in the first body, Italy's Ariana Fontana is also a veteran who has participated in five Winter Olympics. In the women's 500m final of short track speed skating on February 7, she was the first to cross the finish line and successfully defended her title.
Swiss legendary veteran Simon Aman is an iconic figure in the ski jumping event, he was injured in an accident in the competition in 2015, but after a period of rest, he still insisted on his skiing career, this time he also appeared on the field of the Beijing Winter Olympics to participate in his seventh Winter Olympics.
On February 9, the Beijing Winter Olympics Snowboard Women's Steeplechase Pursuit Was held at The Genting Ski Park in Zhangjiakou, and American Lindsay Jacobellis won the championship.
As the "father of the five dynasties" of the Winter Olympics, American Lindsay Jacobelis won the championship in the women's steeplechase event on snowboarding held on February 9, which was also the first gold medal in this event for American athletes.
Jacqueline Molang, 46, 46, competed in the women's individual sprint (free technique) at the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 8. This is her eighth olympic participation, becoming the most prolific Brazilian athlete.
She has previously represented Brazil as a mountain biker at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Beijing and Tokyo, and for the Turin, Vancouver, Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing Winter Olympics. She had seen the beauty of winter and summer in the "City of The Two Olympics". "I only have good memories in Beijing, and it's great to be here to compete!"
After playing in the women's sprint (free technical) qualifiers for cross-country skiing and making his debut at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Moran said: "It's a special feeling to come to Beijing and be part of history." As the first Brazilian athlete to participate in the cross-country skiing event, Jacqueline filled the gap in the Field for the Brazilian team, and her personal legendary experience has become a memory that has entered the history of Brazilian sports.
In the women's U-shaped track skills final on snowboarding held on February 10, China's Cai Xuetong and Liu Jiayu finished fourth and eighth respectively. They are both "elders of the Four Dynasties" of the Winter Olympics. After the game, Liu Jiayu said: "Although there are regrets about the results, the process of enjoyment is very beautiful. ”
While congratulating the champions, let us also remember to pay tribute to all the veterans who persevered at the Beijing Winter Olympics!