Winter Olympics triple crown dream shattered: "Speed Skating Queen" Li Xianghua's tears and persistence

Gangneung, South Korea, February 18 (China News Service) -- On the evening of the 18th, the Gangneung Speed Skating Hall, which was full of nearly 10,000 people, was already sold out of tickets for the night's competition. Korean media previously reported that in order to witness the "queen of speed skating" Lee Sang-hwa achieve the Olympic triple crown, the speed skating women's 500 meters has become the most concerned competition for Korean audiences.

Data chart: The picture shows the famous South Korean player Lee Sang-hwa. Photo by Liu Guanguan, China News Service

As the leader of speed skating in South Korea, the 29-year-old Lee Sang-hwa has won many honors for his outstanding results on the field. In 2016, he debuted at the Turin Winter Olympics and became a high-profile "star of hope"; four years later, the Vancouver Winter Olympics began his own era; at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, overcoming injuries and illness, he once again stood on the top podium, making Li Xianghua the first Asian athlete in the history of the Winter Olympics to successfully defend his title in the speed skating event.

As a gold medalist for two consecutive Winter Olympics, Li Xianghua has publicly expressed his desire to achieve three consecutive championships at the "doorstep" more than once. "The real battle was fought at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics." Li Xianghua said in an interview with the media before the game that in order to achieve the desire to defend his title, he is trying to find the best state of the game.

But in today's speed skating arena, Li Xianghua is no longer "thriving", but is facing a strong catch-up. In the last two seasons, Lee Sang-hwa has encountered a strong challenge from Japan's Famous Nao Kodaira. In this season's World Cup series, Lee Sang-hwa was runner-up three times, and the victor over her was Nao Kodaira.

For a strong opponent, Lee Sang-hwa did not retreat, saying that he was looking forward to playing against Nao Kodaira at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. 'I'm confident because I'm at home and we don't have a big gap and I'm going to give my all to win the gold medal. Li Xianghua, who vowed to win the gold medal in the 500 meters, even gave up the 1000 meters event to save his strength.

One is the "speed skating queen" of South Korea, who has won three consecutive Olympic championships, and the other is a Japanese celebrity who is invincible this season and only wants to be crowned olympic champion. When Lee Sang-hwa and Nao-Kodaira stand on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics at the same time to achieve their respective goals, it is destined to be a wonderful battle.

In 37.33 seconds, in the cheers of nearly 10,000 spectators, Li Xianghua slid across the finish line and won the silver medal with a gap of 0.39 seconds. Nao Kodaira won the gold medal in one fell swoop, continuing this season's unbeaten record in the 500m event, while also breaking the Winter Olympic record of 37.28 seconds held by Lee Sang-hwa.

When the big screen hit the results, Li Xianghua burst into tears, and at this time, Xiao Ping Nao, who slid beside her, stepped forward to hug and comfort. Subsequently, the pair of old rivals walked shoulder to shoulder and draped their respective national flags around the field, and the audience gave warm applause to the two people.

"In front of her domestic audience, her pressure must be very great, very difficult. She's a great player. Nao Kodaira expressed his respect for Lee Sang-hwa after the match.

"When she was around the scene, she (Nao Kodaira) kept telling me that she was still proud of me. I'm also proud of her, she's a player worthy of respect and learning. Li Xianghua said.

For missing three consecutive championships, Li Xianghua admitted that he had some regrets after the game. 'I cried not because I was sad, but because I was really happy to have finished the game in my country. Li Xianghua added, "With so many people supporting me, no matter what the results are, it is an encouragement to me. (End)