The opening match of the new short track speed skating World Cup will start on October 10 in Montreal, Canada, Beijing time. A few days ago, the Chinese short track speed skating team officially announced the list of 20 men and 6 women with a total of 6 participants.
The Chinese team will field a combination of old and new squads this season, with male players including Lin Xiaocheng, Li Wenlong, Song Jiahua, Liu Shaolin, Liu Shaoang and Sun Long; The female athletes sent Fan Kexin, Zang Yize, Gong Li, Wang Xinran, Xu Aili and Wang Ye. The team has already traveled to Canada this week for its first two World Cup tournaments and the Four Continents Championship.
The 2023~2024 season is Zhang Jing's second season in charge of the Chinese short track speed skating team. Last season, Zhang Jing helped the Chinese team achieve good results in the World Championships and World Cups. Entering the new season, she said that the upcoming new season will be a period of consolidation for the team's overall preparation, "the veterans will regain the rhythm of the competition, and the young players will have to stand firm on the international stage." ”
Comparing the list of Chinese short track speed skating teams in the past two seasons, it is worth noting that Fan Kexin, who took a season off after the Beijing Winter Olympics, has reappeared in people's eyes. Ren Ziwei, who did not play in last season's game, still did not appear on the roster for the new season. In addition, the last World Championships relay champions Liu Guanyi and Zhong Yuchen will also miss the first two World Cup races.
Olympic champion Fan Kexin, who is about to embark on her journey to prepare for the fourth Winter Olympics, said she "mustered up a lot of courage to return to this team". Fan Kexin recognizes Zhang Jing's coaching style and believes that she has brought a new technical concept to the national team. Fan Kexin said frankly: "For me now, the Olympic Games are not the only goal. My goal now is to fight injuries and recover physically, and then communicate and pass on my experience and lessons from the game to my teammates, which are more important. ”
For Ren Ziwei, the reporter learned in the interview that although he was selected for the training list of the national team in the new season, he will not participate in the first two stops of the World Cup. Ren Ziwei said that after in-depth communication with the coaching staff, due to the short recovery training time, there was still a certain gap between his physical fitness and ability level and his goal, so he decided to give up participating in the first two races.
According to the calendar released by the International Skating Federation, the 2023~2024 Short Track Speed Skating World Cup has a total of 6 stops, the first two will start in late October in Montreal, Canada, the third stop will be held in Beijing, and the next three stops will be held in Seoul, South Korea, Dresden, Germany and Gdansk, Poland.
In addition to the World Cup main event, the ISU has also added three new short track speed skating youth World Cup events in the new season, in order to provide more athletes with opportunities to participate in international events.
In this regard, Liu Chenyu, the leader of the Chinese team, said that in order to adapt to the changes in international competitions, the national team has added a second-tier team composed of 6 people. Zhang Jing revealed that in the future, echelon will be formed to organize and arrange various youth events, continuously discover and train young players, and consolidate the foundation of reserve talents. "The cultivation and growth of young athletes is the key to ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the Chinese short track speed skating team. By participating in the World Cup, young players can accumulate more experience in international competitions and improve their competitive level as soon as possible. ”
As the highlight of the new season, the World Championships in the Netherlands next March will be an important stage to test the preparation and practice of the Chinese short track speed skating team for the new season. Talking about the goals of the new season, Zhang Jing said: "Everyone should play their ability and level and strive for medals. Hopefully, this team can mature as soon as possible. (Daily Worker)