China News Service, February 12. As the Beijing Winter Olympics has become a hot topic in the world, China's winter sports competition level has also attracted attention.

On the 11th, the European Times, the largest Chinese-language daily in Europe, quoted an article in the German media, Die Welt, saying that, in fact, a few years ago, China had formulated a huge talent training plan and hired a group of foreign star coaches to prepare them. Select athletes to train.

The legendary Finnish coach Mika Kojonkoski and the veteran German athlete Michael Brunner have both trained young Chinese athletes. They have made rapid progress in the training of these Chinese teenagers who have never even seen snow before. A deep memory.

　　The article wrote that when the children came from China on November 4, 2018, Kodjonkoski remembered it well.

Looking out over the Kuopio ski jump, the legendary coach from Finland recalled: "Those Chinese kids and teenagers saw snow for the first time on the day they arrived here, and some didn't know what ski jumping was. They It’s from scratch.” While Germany’s top ski jumper Karl Geiger has been training since kindergarten, Kodjonkowski has only three years to turn these newcomers into the Olympics player.

"Everyone thinks it's crazy," the 58-year-old said. "I don't know if it's possible, but I want to try it."

　　Like many other successful foreign coaches, the "challenge" attracted them because there was a major problem in China at the time, "the 2022 Olympics are there, but there are no top-notch skiers." Here's the 57-year-old Brenner Opinion, he was a starter in the Ski World Cup and is now a ski coach in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Like Kojjonkoski, he also helped with the training of the Chinese ski youth team.

Turn beginners into Olympians

　　For some sports, the Chinese are completely in their infancy, while in others things are about medals.

In skiing, China has embarked on a massive plan to select trainees and set ambitious schedules across the country.

And it's part of a bigger plan: China wants to become a winter sports nation.

　　At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, China ranked 12th in the medal standings, with nine podiums, including three gold medals.

Four years later, at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, China slipped to 16th place in the medal standings due to the addition of snowboard ski jumping, mixed double curling, and alpine skiing team competitions.

This is not in line with the self-positioning of the country, especially when the game will be played in the country.

　　So Kodjonkoski began his difficult task.

After much discussion, he eventually linked the promise to the conditions: "They want me to train new ski jumpers and make the sport strong in China. So I said, if you need me , we're training here - the base has to be in Kuopio."

　　Brenner's basic idea was also to establish a base in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he would take control.

In addition, Kodjonkoski made another condition: "I will be in charge of organizing everything—staff, training programs, equipment, accommodation, and being as independent as possible." They were all committed, and they worked enthusiastically.

Kodjonkowski and Brenner have each created a highly specialized team of trainers and caregivers that truly turn beginners into Olympians.

They are always 100% committed and the training progresses at an astonishing rate

　　The 14-18-year-olds who received their training had received long-term and intensive physical training.

Kodjonkowski was primarily looking for future ski jumpers at a martial arts school, while Brenner's members came from gymnastics, kung fu, dance or track teams.

Brenner explained, "As gymnasts, some people may be too tall or too heavy to enter world-class competitions, and they may be rated as second-level athletes in China, but they have many years of foundation, and they are in training. Top."

　　In the snow at the training base, the platform used by Kodjonkoski to train young players is a low platform only used by children aged four or five.

They moved forward little by little, and both coaches reported the same: They were amazed at how quickly the training progressed.

"Training comes with a good attitude," says Brenner. "Of course they're kids and they're going to mess around, but they're always 100 percent into the training." Scared ski jumping, it went well too.

　　This fearlessness is also one of the criteria that Kodjonkoski values. After all, anyone who starts the sport as a teenager needs some extra grit and a quicker start, and many trainees have it. these two qualities.

Some have been able to compete in second-tier continental competitions and third-tier international competitions after a year and a half of training, and "have had occasional top performances after two and a half years of intense training."

　　"There's a lack of consistency, of course, but there is potential," Kodjonkoski said.

"For me, it's not just a job"

　　Of course there are difficulties, one of which is the language barrier.

"We're trying to understand Chinese culture, trying to create a safe and positive environment, an atmosphere where they can really enjoy training," Kojonkowski said, although his team hired Chinese chefs, "probably the hardest part is that food".

　　Another problem is that each time you get a visa, you can only stay at the training base for 90 days.

　　But Brenner's tenure ended before the pandemic began.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also changed Kodjonkowski’s training plan. Since the athletes had to return to China, Kodjonkoski and his team could only fly to China in July 2020 to continue training. The originally planned 2 The month then became 10 months.

Until the fall of 2021, when Kodjonkowski received a dismissal notice, "We were all sad, especially the young athletes, and we ended up shedding a lot of tears. For me, it's not just a job."

　　And what did they bring?

The list of contestants and medal standings will give the answer.

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