Time flies, time flies. February 4 this year marks the second anniversary of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Two years ago, Chinese ice and snow athletes were able to compete well in the Winter Olympics, and their wonderful moments of competing for gold and silver are still stirring in people's hearts. In the past two years, the heroes of the Winter Olympics have continued to sweat like rain on the training ground and fight bravely on the field, and the spirit of the Winter Olympics has been perfectly inherited.
On April 16, 2022, Gao Tingyu participated in the award ceremony of "China Ice and Snow Night".
Gao Tingyu entered the national speed skating team in 2016, focusing on the short- and middle-distance events. At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he was just 21 years old at the time, won the bronze medal in the men's 500m speed skating competition, achieving a medal "zero breakthrough", and at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he fulfilled his promise to change the medal to gold, and in the 500m race, he broke the Winter Olympics record, climbed the coveted top podium, becoming the first Chinese male athlete to win the Winter Olympic gold medal in speed skating. Since Luo Zhihuan won the world championship for the first time in 1963, the Chinese men's speed skating has been waiting for the arrival of this Olympic gold medal for 59 years.
Gao Tingyu said in an interview with a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily that the picture when he won the championship will never be forgotten, and the excitement cannot be calmed down for a long time. "At that time, the entire speed skating national team was fighting together, and everyone also saw that the national speed skating stadium became a 'golden ribbon' after winning the championship for breaking the Olympic record. This is specially set up for the Chinese athletes who won the championship in the stadium, and it is a really wonderful feeling, and I will always remember it. As a Chinese athlete, I feel infinitely honored and hope that more and more people can feel the charm of speed skating. Gao Tingyu said.
Gao Tingyu shines the "ice ribbon" at the Beijing Winter Olympics
In addition to winning China's first Olympic gold medal in men's speed skating with an Olympic record, Gao Tingyu also had a number of highlights at the Beijing Winter Olympics: as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony, he led the Chinese delegation into the venue, and at the closing ceremony, he served as the flag bearer, becoming the first athlete to hold the flag of the Chinese delegation at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics since 2010.
The Winter Olympic title has brought Gao Tingyu a lot of attention, which is both pressure and motivation for him. He admits that there will definitely be some pressure, but he always believes that pressure will lead to motivation, and these titles will also spur him to continue to break through himself in future training and never forget his original intention.
After the Beijing Winter Olympics, affected by a back injury, Gao Tingyu once faded out of the arena. At the Speed Skating World Cup in Beijing in November 2023, Gao Tingyu returned to the international arena after 21 months, and although he narrowly missed the opportunity to reach the podium, he won one gold and two silvers in the subsequent competitions in Norway and Poland, announcing the return of the king.
On December 9, 2023, Gao Tingyu won the World Cup in Poland
At present, China's ice and snow sports are intensively and orderly engaged in the preparation for the new cycle of the Milan Winter Olympics, Gao Tingyu has become more mature and stable in his mentality, and he bluntly said that he has learned to live with injuries: "All athletes will be accompanied by injuries to a greater or lesser extent, and this is inevitable. After the Winter Olympics cycle, I spent more than a year trying to live with injuries and the results are good. ”
For the future, Gao Tingyu has a clear plan in his heart, he said: "This season will come to an end first, I will give myself a few days off, and then start summer training to prepare for the new season." We also hope that through our efforts, more people can understand and enjoy speed skating. Two years later, the Milan Winter Olympics will allow the world to continue to see that the Chinese speed skating team is an existence that cannot be underestimated. ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Zhou Xueshuai