The 24th Winter Olympic Games will kick off in Beijing on February 4, 2022.
The Sports Department of Chinanews.com launched a series of columns "Hundred Questions about Winter Olympics", aimed at popularizing Winter Olympic knowledge, answering hot questions, sharing interesting stories about ice and snow, and helping everyone have a better watching experience during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 13th Winter Olympics 100 Questions | At which Winter Olympics did the Chinese delegation achieve a zero medal breakthrough?
Since their debut at the Winter Olympics in 1980, the athletes of the Chinese sports delegation have been seeking to make a difference.
So at which Winter Olympics did the Chinese team achieve a zero medal breakthrough?
From February 8 to 23, 1992, the 16th Winter Olympics was held in Albertville, France.
In that competition, a total of 1801 athletes from 64 countries and regions participated in the competition. It is worth mentioning that this was also the last time the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics were held in the same year.
At that Winter Olympics, the Chinese sports delegation sent a total of 34 people to participate in 34 small events such as skiing, skating, and biathlon.
It was also in this Winter Olympics that the Chinese team won 3 precious silver medals and achieved the "zero breakthrough" in medals in the history of the Winter Olympics.
12 years of hard work has created a moment to rewrite the history of winter sports in China.
At the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, Chinese athlete Ye Qiaobo won two silver medals in women’s speed skating 500 meters and 1,000 meters. Li Yan also added another silver medal to the Chinese team in the short track speed skating competition, which was the first official event of the Winter Olympics.
On February 17, the women's 1500m final of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics short track speed skating event was held in Gangneung.
Chinese player Li Jinyu won the silver medal and South Korean player Cui Minjing won the gold.
The picture shows Li Yan, the coach of the Chinese Short Track Speed Skating Team, hugging Li Jinyu after the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan
Looking back at that Winter Olympics, in the women's 500-meter speed skating competition, American star Blair won the championship with 40.33. Chinese player Ye Qiaobo won the runner-up with a slight gap of 40.51.
In the women's speed skating 1,000-meter final, Blair won the gold medal with a time of 1:21.90, and Ye Qiaobo finished second with a gap of 0.02 seconds.
Although they failed to reach the highest podium, these two precious silver medals still became milestones in the history of the Chinese sports delegation in the Winter Olympics.
It is worth mentioning that Ye Qiaobo had just completed knee surgery a few months before the game, and had to wrap his left knee with a bandage during the game.
This indomitable fighting spirit was praised by foreign journalists, and it showed the youth and enthusiasm of Chinese athletes to the fullest, leaving a mark of China on the Winter Olympics.
(Liu Xingchen)