On the afternoon of March 12, the wheelchair curling project of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games began its final competition in the "Ice Cube" of the National Aquatics Center. Defending champions China successfully defended their title with an 8-3 victory over the powerful Swedish team. After the competition, the award ceremony was held in the "Ice Cube", and the Chinese wheelchair curling team climbed to the highest podium and achieved the "floating ascension" at the "doorstep".
As the glory teacher of China's ice and snow sports, the Chinese wheelchair curling team achieved a breakthrough of zero gold medals and medals for China at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympic Games. In the final of the 2021 Wheelchair Curling World Championships, the Chinese team and the Swedish team met, and after a fierce battle, the Chinese team finally defeated the fierce opponent Sweden 5-3 to win the championship. In the second game of the Winter Paralympic Round Robin Tournament, China lost 1-5 to Sweden. After losing to Sweden, the Chinese team adjusted its form in time, became more and more courageous, and won eight consecutive round-robin matches to advance to the semi-finals. Subsequently, the Chinese team defeated the Canadian team 9-5 and reached the wheelchair curling final of the Winter Paralympic Games with a record of nine consecutive wins.
In this Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese team and the Swedish team competed for the gold medal in the event. In the match, the Chinese team sent the same lineup as the previous games, Yan Zhuo at first base, Zhang Mingming at second base, Chen Jianxin at third base and Wang Haitao at fourth base. In the first three sets, the two sides drew 1-1, and in the fourth set, the Chinese team made a mistake in the backhand that caused the other side to steal 1 point. In the first half, after four innings, China temporarily trailed Sweden 1-2. In the fifth set, the Chinese team played well, and the Swedish team used a timeout to throw the pot for the last time under heavy pressure. The Chinese team scored four points in a single set to lead Sweden 5-2, thus taking the initiative. In the sixth set, the Swedish team made a mistake in the penultimate shot, and the backhand had a thrilling score to get 1 point, and the Chinese team led 5-3. In the seventh inning, the Chinese team withstood the pressure to get 3 points, and with one game left in the game, the Swedish team conceded defeat in advance. In the end, the Chinese team defeated Sweden by a score of 8-3 and won the championship again in the Winter Paralympic Games after four years.
In the wheelchair curling competition of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese team "suppressed first and then raised", of which the fourth baseman Wang Haitao played a particularly critical role, and he paid unimaginable hardships in the game. He said after the game that the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympic Games had not achieved much results, and the best was only the fourth place in the Winter Paralympic Olympics, so he always wanted to fight for that medal, and finally spelled it out. "At this year's 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, we are equivalent to defending this medal. Therefore, it is to play steadily, do yourself well, do the process well, and this gold medal will naturally come. Wang Haitao said.
At the World Championships and the Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese wheelchair curling team won the gold medal in the "Ice Cube" twice. Wang Haitao said that the World Championships achieved a "floating performance" in his own country, and he was particularly excited at the time. "At that time, our play was not as stable as it is now, don't look at the Winter Paralympic Games just lost two games at the beginning, but in the next game, the play was much more stable than before, and I felt that I still had the team's skills much better than before."
As the captain of the team, Wang Haitao has everyone and a small family. In 2018, he married his wife, who is also a curler, and had his own small family, and the next year, the two had a healthy, handsome son. Talking about his family, Wang Haitao's heart is full of debt, "I have been training outside all these years, and when my lover was pregnant, I was not at home. Along the way, it was the lover and the mother-in-law who took care of the children, so I always felt indebted to them. Curling is my beloved career, and I hope to use my practical actions to set a good example for my son. ”
With this hearty victory, Yue Qingshuang, the coach of the Chinese team, with tears in his eyes, walked to the arena and hugged every team member tightly. "For another four years, I felt more often than not, I experienced all kinds of pressures and finally released. Because there are indeed a lot of people who are paying attention to us and hope that we can defend ourselves on the 'doorstep'. But what is even more exciting is that I have seen everyone grow, and I am especially grateful to the 12 players for their efforts together, although only 5 players were able to appear in the Winter Paralympic Games, but I should most thank the remaining 7 players. In addition, thanks to the coaches, team leaders, etc., we won the final victory by relying on the strength of the team. She said.
"In 2018, we stood on the field in South Korea and had a breakthrough moment. In 2022, we stood on the field of our own country again and achieved another breakthrough. Yue Qingshuang said that the significance of this Beijing Winter Paralympic Games is extraordinary, and the Chinese Winter Paralympic athletes have broken through 18 gold, they are really very good, very remarkable.
Talking about the performance of the players in the 12 games of the Winter Paralympic Games, Yue Qingshuang believes that the 12 players he leads are a team that can win the battle and never accept defeat. "Although there were two defeats in this Winter Paralympic Games, I think this is just the beginning, and in the next game, everyone's mentality adjusted very quickly. In the later games, they played better and better, and I believe that everyone has seen the best results. ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Zhou Xueshuai