The Beijing Winter Olympics are getting closer and closer, and for Chinese ice and snow athletes, the preparation has also entered the final sprint stage, racing against time.
Although the covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected the preparations for the Winter Olympics, the all-out Chinese ice and snow athletes are expected to achieve a historic breakthrough at home. Short track speed skating, speed skating, figure skating, freestyle skiing aerial skills, etc. are still the traditional advantages of the Chinese Legion, and are popular for rushing gold and silver. In addition, Chinese ice and snow athletes have also made great progress in freestyle skiing U-shaped tracks and slope obstacle courses, snowboard women's U-shaped tracks, snowboard men's slope obstacle courses and big jumps.
According to Li Yingchuan, deputy director of the State Administration of Sports, 480 athletes from China's 29 national training teams in ice and snow sports are sprinting with all their might and striving to achieve good results at the Beijing Winter Olympics. "In the process of preparation, we have made up for the shortcomings of athletes, coaches and professional training venues and facilities to achieve the development of 109 sub-projects, the construction of teams in all projects, and the training of all projects at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and strive to participate in all projects." Li Yingchuan said that when Beijing won the right to host the Winter Olympics in 2015, about one-third of China's 109 sub-events had never been carried out; at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, China participated in about half of the total number of projects; this Winter Olympics, as the host, China will strive to achieve full-project participation. In 2022, we are expected to witness the history of ice and snow sports in China at home.
What problems are currently encountered by Chinese ice and snow athletes in preparing for competition?
Affected by the epidemic, the national training team was unable to go abroad to train and participate in the competition normally, and lost some important Winter Olympic points, which are the basic conditions and the only way to obtain the qualification for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, which is the most prominent problem encountered in the current preparation for participation. In addition, most of the teams have not participated in international competitions for a long time, and lack the opportunity to compete with major opponents, which puts forward higher requirements for athletes' on-the-spot play and adaptability.
Although there are not many opportunities to participate, the systematicness and continuity of the training of Chinese athletes have been effectively guaranteed. At the same time, the Chinese team is also constantly improving the scientific level of training, strengthening the whole process management of training work, making full use of scientific and technological assistance, strictly monitoring the quality of training, and providing great help to the improvement of athletes' competitive ability.
Among the Chinese Winter Olympic delegation, the short track speed skating team is undoubtedly the biggest favorite to compete for gold and silver. In terms of the men's team, Wu Dajing was pinned on high hopes. However, in the past two years, his dominance in the men's 500 meters has been strongly impacted, and South Korea's Hwang Dae-hyun, Lin Hyo-joon, Park Ji-won, Lee Joon-so, etc. have formed a group advantage, and the Hungarian Liu Shaoang and Liu Shaolin brothers are also strong. The women's team has the possibility of rushing gold in the three events of 500 meters, 1000 meters and 1500 meters, but they are not fully sure, and it is not easy for the famous Fan Kexin to break out of the siege. Fortunately, with the progress and maturity of Han Yutong and Zhang Chutong, the women's team has a more abundant talent pool in the 1000 meters and 1500 meters long distance events. If the state is adjusted properly, there will still be hope of rushing gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
It is worth mentioning that the Beijing Winter Olympics has added a short track speed skating mixed relay event, which will determine 3 gold medals, and the Chinese short track team may win some in these events.
Figure skating is another advantageous sport of the Chinese Winter Olympic Team. At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Sui Wenjing and Han Cong only passed the double skating gold medal by a difference of 0.43 points. In the following 3 years, the Sui Wenjing/Han Cong combination has not been defeated, and it can be called the "first combination" of today's pair skating. After winning the World Championships, the Four Continents Championship and the Finals, Sui Wenjing/Han Cong are missing only one Olympic gold medal.
Jin Boyang's emergence gave the Chinese men's single skating the hope of standing on the podium of the Winter Olympics. Fourth place at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics is already the best result in the history of the Chinese men's single skating in the History of the Winter Olympics, and Jin Boyang is looking forward to further development at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics three years ago, the women's U-shaped venue for freestyle skiing was regarded as a "dark horse" project expected to appear in the Chinese sports delegation. Zhang Kexin, who was only 16 at the time, not only won her first World Cup title before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, but also made a historic breakthrough in the final of the event in Pyeongchang. Coupled with the sudden rise of Li Fanghui, the "post-00s" team of freestyle skiing U-shaped venues is expected to achieve good results at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Gu Ailing's addition to the Beijing Winter Olympic cycle undoubtedly makes the Chinese team's goals at the Winter Olympics have higher expectations. Gu Ailing won 2 gold and 1 bronze at the Winter World Extreme Games held at the end of January 2021, known as "China's next Olympic superstar", and is also regarded as a gold medal for the women's U-shaped course and slope obstacle course of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
On the U-shaped field, Gu Ailing is slightly inferior in the difficulty of the action, but her advantage lies in the height of the air and the stability of the taxi. Originally, in the slope obstacle course, Gu Ailing was already a regular on the World Cup podium, but as the only Chinese player who has the ability to enter the final and compete for the gold medal, Gu Ailing will compete with many European and American players.
In addition, in the speed skating, curling, freestyle skiing aerial skills, snowboarding U-shaped tracks and slope obstacle courses and other sports, Chinese athletes also have good strength and are expected to achieve breakthroughs. Many snow projects that we have not carried out sufficiently before are also expected to usher in surprises.
Qiu Jianhui Ma Jing
Source: People's Liberation Army Daily