Get good grades and step into a new cycle

On April 15, Beijing time, the captain of the Chinese women's ice hockey team, Yu Baiwei, held up the trophy after the game and celebrated the victory with his teammates. Photo by Marcin Brenda (Xinhua News Agency)

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In the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship Group A Group B competition, the Chinese team won the championship in five games, returning to the ranks of Group A after 10 years. After ten years of tempering since the demotion in 2011, and two rounds of tempering at the Winter Olympics and the World Championships, the Chinese women's ice hockey team has taken a solid first step in the journey of striving for qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics when it enters the new Winter Olympic cycle.

In the early morning of April 15, Beijing time, the women's ice hockey world championship Division B match ended in Poland. The Chinese team defeated Poland 7:2 in the key battle, and won the World Championship First Division B Group with a total victory of 5 games, returning to the ranks of Group A after 10 years.

According to reports, the International Ice Hockey Federation Adult Women's World Championships are divided into top, first, second, C and other grades, and other levels outside the top are divided into group A and group B. In principle, except for the top group of the Winter Olympic Year, each group holds a World Championship every year, and the first place is promoted to the group and the last place is demoted. The Chinese team won the fourth place in the top group twice in 1994 and 1997, but then suffered a series of relegations for various reasons. In the Beijing Winter Olympics cycle, the overall strength of Chinese women's ice hockey has rebounded with the support of all parties. After the Beijing Winter Olympics, the world ranking of the Chinese team rose from 20th to 17th. Then to the World Championships, the Chinese team became more and more courageous, spelling out the only promotion quota, spelling out upward self-confidence and spirit.

Five wins at the World Championships

Before the last match, Poland and China maintained a record of total victories, and the suspense of competing for promotion places was maintained until the last moment of this World Championship. After the game began, the chinese team with the superior strength went all out, scoring 6 goals in the first quarter to establish the lead and finally win 7:2. In this match, Chinese player Liu Zhixin scored 1 goal and delivered 5 assists; Chinese striker Miller was named the best striker of the tournament.

In addition to China and Poland, the teams participating in the World Championship Division B competition are Italy, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Slovenia. Among the 6 teams, Italy has the highest ranking in the world, and South Korea and Kazakhstan are the main opponents of The Chinese team in Asia. Among them, the Chinese team is the only team participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics.

At this World Championship, the Chinese players felt hot. In the first round of the match, the Chinese team defeated the South Korean team 5:0 and made a brilliant start. It was followed by a 6:3 victory over Italy, a 14:2 victory over Slovenia and a 6:2 victory over Kazakhstan. After defeating Poland, the Chinese team won its first World Championship title in 13 years.

"I am very happy that everyone has gained confidence through the experience of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and I am even happier that everyone can show the content of the harvest at the World Championships." Chinese team captain Yu Baiwei said after the game.

Preparations for the Winter Olympics enhance strength

Born in 1988, Yu Baiwei became acquainted with ice hockey in 1998 and was first selected for the national team in 2005, witnessing the glory of Chinese women's ice skating and also experiencing a low point with the team.

In the 1990s, the Chinese team was a powerful team in the world women's ice hockey industry. According to Zhang Jing, a former member of the Chinese women's ice hockey team, the team had many years of experience in the top group of the World Championships. In 1998, in Nagano, Japan, the Chinese team won the fourth place in the first Winter Olympics, which was also the best result achieved by the team in the Winter Olympics. However, since then, the development of ice hockey has encountered bottlenecks, talents have been broken, and the results have declined, and in 2009, they were demoted from the top group to the fifth group in the first group A in 2011. Since 2012, the Chinese team has been competing in The World Championships Division A Group B competition. "We are all looking forward to the chinese women's ice team being able to recreate the glory of that year." Zhang Jing said.

The successful bid for the 2015 Winter Olympics has brought opportunities for the development of ice hockey. Taking the preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity, Chinese ice hockey has increased the intensity of material selection and training, not only expanding the selection of materials, but also winning the opportunity for the team to compete in overseas high-level leagues, and the strength of Chinese women's ice skating with the support of all parties has gradually recovered.

At the Beijing Winter Olympics, although the Chinese team missed the quarterfinals, the mental outlook displayed by the team members when facing the world's strong players is still fresh in people's minds. Against the Danish and Japanese teams, which ranked much higher, the Chinese women's ice team actively scrambled, did not give up, and showed good strength: against the Danish team, the Chinese team scored two goals in the last minute and won the victory; against the Japanese team, the Chinese team fought until the last moment and won the game through the penalty shootout.

"With the strong team, we see the gap, but also see the hope, only through the test of the competition, in order to grow faster." Yu Baiwei said.

The competition accumulates experience through experience

At this World Championship, the Chinese team took the Beijing Winter Olympics lineup as the team, reflecting its advantages in overall strength.

Having just participated in her first Winter Olympics and then ascended to the World Championships, young player Lin Qiqi has an "unbelievable" sense of happiness. In her opinion, "the competition in the Winter Olympics is very fierce and faster, and we have brought the focus of the Winter Olympics to the World Championships and treated the game with the same mentality" is one of the important reasons why the team won the championship.

After the Beijing Winter Olympics, some of the main players of the Chinese team continued to participate in the Russian women's ice hockey league, and some of the players trained in the United States, all maintaining a good competitive state. At this World Championship, Miller, Lin Qiqi, Lin Ni and other players played well, scoring a total of 38 goals in 5 games, showing a strong impact.

China coach Bedos believes that the overall performance of the team is in line with expectations. "The World Championships have a short schedule and are intense, and the players need to have a lot of tenacity." He believes that from the performance on the field and the results of the game, the players already know how to adapt to the game and can seize the opportunity.

Returning to the ranks of Group A of the World Championships, the Chinese team showed a good mental outlook and good competitive strength, and also let people see the hope of the re-emergence of Chinese women's ice hockey. At the same time, after experiencing the test of the two world championships of the Winter Olympic Games and the World Championships, the Chinese team has taken a solid first step in the journey of striving for qualification for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Group A is the second stage of the Women's Ice Hockey World Championships, and the Chinese team will also face more powerful opponents. "We will take a hard look at it and prepare for future games." Yu Baiwei said that the whole team will continue to work hard and pursue excellence to accumulate growth nutrients for a better future for Chinese women's ice hockey.

People's Daily (2022-04-18 14th edition)