[Beijing Winter Olympics] Visiting Qitaihe, the "Hometown of Chinese Winter Olympic Champions": the culture of champions is deeply rooted
[Commentary] Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Fan Kexin, the names that shine in the Winter Olympics and the world arena, all come from the same place - Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province. The athletes who came out from here won a total of 6 Winter Olympics gold medals, accounting for China currently holds nearly half of the total number of Winter Olympic gold medals.
Recently, the reporter came to this city, which has the reputation of "Hometown of Chinese Winter Olympic Champions". During the interview, he also realized the nourishment and inspiration of the deeply rooted champion culture to the people here.
[Explanation] There is an 8-story short track speed skating championship hall near Taoshan Lake in Qitaihe City, which records the development history of local speed skating for more than 40 years.
On the side of the first floor of the exhibition hall, the reporter saw a wall composed of thousands of pairs of skate shoes. The instructor Guan Houyan told the reporter that these were old skates that the team members could no longer use. Flattened, there are hundreds of thousands of skates like these locally.
[Commentary] Speaking of the origin of Qitaihe short track speed skating, people here will naturally think of Meng Qingyu. As the first generation coach of Qitaihe in the 1970s, he created this place under extremely difficult conditions. short track speed skating career.
In the severe cold of minus 40 degrees, the ice rink was watered at 3:00 in the morning with the ice watering truck invented by myself. The pictures in the exhibition hall on the second floor of the Champion Pavilion recorded the pictures of that year, in an exhibition hall that restored the working scene of the year. , the instructor told a story in front of a mirror that Coach Meng used when he got married.
[Concurrent] Guan Houyan, instructor of Qitaihe Short Track Speed Skating Championship Hall
The mirror hadn't been hung at home for a few days, so he took it to the team and asked the team members to practice their movements in the mirror. He said that this large mirror was not easy to find back then, and it could reflect the whole body.
When he got it in the team and let the young players use it, he felt that the team could use it, and then he took it all to the team.
[Explanation] After going through the era of poverty and whiteness, now in modern training venues, what has changed is the training conditions, but the same is the fighting spirit of fighting for the first place.
Liu Xuanyao, 15 years old this year, has been training in short track speed skating for 7 years. Now her best time is 47 seconds for the 500 meters. The next step is to try to slide in 46 seconds or even 45 seconds. When it comes to this goal, She was young with determination in her eyes.
She told reporters to take every step steadily and work hard for the dream in her heart.
[Concurrent] Qitaihe short track speed skater Liu Xuanyao
Train well, don't be lazy, and then complete the training plan seriously every day, and then go up step by step, just want to become a world champion, a Winter Olympic champion, and then win glory for the country.
[Explanation] Outside the training ground, at an outdoor skating rink in Qitaihe City, 66-year-old Fan Luhe Zheng and a group of old skating-loving buddies were in full swing, and they also walked in with their 6-year-old grandson. On the ice rink, he told reporters that he was in the "hometown of champions", and champions often came off the field to interact with them.
[Concurrent] Fan Luhe, a skating enthusiast in Qitaihe City
As for us, coach Dong, the world champion, and Zhang Jie (Jing) often play with us, come to our ice rink, interact with each other, come here, can you guide us, we are very happy.
[Explanation] During the interview, the reporter also met Yu Yihan, a primary school student who brought his sister to ice skating. Although he was not very skilled, the two of them also had fun in the ice rink. When talking about the reason for practicing skating, he said yes The champions coming out here got him interested in skating.
[Concurrent] Yu Yihan, a student of the No. 6 Primary School in Qitaihe City
When I saw Wang Meng and the others skating, I felt very handsome, and then I also wanted to skate. Another point is that skating is exercising, which can make my body better and my immune system stronger.
[Explanation] The yearning and pursuit of champions, and the love and dedication to ice and snow make this "city holding a stopwatch" always full of the champion spirit of "dare to be the first and strive to be first-class". We also look forward to this year's In the Winter Olympics, they can achieve another success and win the championship again.
Li Jiangming Zhou Zhibo reports from Qitaihe, Heilongjiang
Responsible editor: [Liu Pai]