"Being able to win the bronze medal is both happy and unhappy. The happy thing is that history has been created. The unhappy thing is that I don't think I did the best. We have skated this track more than 500 times, and every corner is familiar. But there were still some mistakes in the competition, and I was capable of winning the gold medal." On February 11, Chinese steel-frame snowmobile athlete Yan Wengang was at the "Snow Youlong" snowmobile sled track in Yanqing, to help China in this event. Making history, he won a precious bronze medal with a total score of 4:01.77 in four rounds, while his teammate Yin Zheng ranked fifth.
The next day, although the female players Zhao Dan and Li Yuxi failed to make it to the podium, they also received a lot of attention, and more and more people began to notice that this project was not within their scope of knowledge before. , has actually become a key project of the Chinese team.
"We only started forming the team in December 2015. In fact, many team members, including myself, didn't know what the snowmobile looked like at that time, let alone ordinary people." Sun Fan, the leader of the China Steel Frame Snow Team, was accepting In an interview, a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily said, "However, through the efforts of our team, coaches, logistics support, scientific research and team members, our project has grown rapidly and has become very competitive in terms of strength. This project has a certain awareness.”
What are the "secrets" behind the rapid progress of the Chinese Ice and Snow Corps snowmobiles and sleds?
The first is the introduction of high-level coaches, and the establishment of coaches and logistics support teams.
The head coach of the Chinese steel frame snow team is Andy Smith from Austria. Before coaching the Chinese team, he was the head coach of the British women's team and the person in charge of the entire snowmobile project. He is the only winner of this project. Coach who has won the IOC Lifetime Achievement Award.
According to Sun Fan's words, "Andy has the ability to comprehensively manage the Chinese steel sled team, and is a coach who can lead the team to the highest level. Training system, competition system and talent training system.”
Indeed, including the steel frame sled, the Chinese sled and sled project was a blank slate before the Beijing Winter Olympics was successful.
The arrival of Andy Smith actually helped the Chinese team quickly solve almost all the difficulties in cognition of the project, ranging from how to transfer games during the season, as small as training starting skills, strength training, equipment and equipment debugging, Including the concepts conveyed by snowmobiles and sledding projects, etc.
"The sleigh sled project is actually not a simple exercise. You can push the car out and slide down on it. It is precisely because everyone is an independent individual. You need to provide different formulas according to different individuals to make The perfect combination of individuals and equipment and equipment, and then produce the best friction coefficient, there are too many details to pay attention to. During the season, players need to complete 8 races within 2 to 3 months, and they need to turn around. During the game, we still maintain a good level of competition, which requires full support from all aspects. Our team has done a very good job, which is the strength of the team, which allows us to achieve a great level in a relatively short period of time. Lift," Coach Smith said.
Of course, in order to achieve good results in any project, the ability of athletes and the cultivation of all aspects of quality are also indispensable and important factors.
Most of the athletes in the snowmobile sledding event, including the steel frame sled team, were selected through cross-border and cross-segment events. Yan Wengang, Yin Zheng, Zhao Dan, and Li Yuxi all have a good track and field foundation. The speed requirement of the sled is very critical to the start. These team members did their best and devoted great efforts in training and improving their own level.
In an interview with a reporter from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily, Li Yuxi said that she never dared to tell her parents about the training situation, "I'm afraid they will be worried. For example, during a competition in Europe, I would have my arm broken due to a rollover. The bones were dislocated, so I didn't participate in the next World Cup. But when I told my mom, I just told her that there was a problem with my snowmobile. My dad wouldn't ask me directly, but he would ask through my mom, They never cared about my results, their main concern was my safety, and I really wanted to show myself at the Olympics. To get a good result Before the Olympics, I didn't see my parents for more than a year, and now it's more than a year. It's over, I miss them so much and want to go home."
Yan Wengang also shared his mental journey on the Winter Olympics, "Especially in the last round, how did he inspire and motivate himself?" When I stood at the starting point, I was thinking, can I do it?
I looked at the slide in front of me. It took a lot of people's efforts. I didn't fight it out, I didn't get cards, and I didn't raise the flag. I'm sorry for too many people's efforts, so I released it!
"
Indeed, whether it is the coaching team, logistical support, transfer training and the construction of the "Xueyoulong" track, it requires a lot of capital investment, including the assistance of science and technology, and without the support of national power behind it, these are impossible tasks. .
"Because the starting stage is extremely important to the performance of snowmobile sledding, we have equipped the best coaches of the national track and field team for this purpose. In addition, for the team's summer training, physical reserves, and psychological counseling, we have cooperated with Shanghai Institute of Physical Education. Tsinghua University has invested a lot in the research and development of equipment and equipment. We also have a special equipment head coach, who used to be a world-renowned equipment supplier, as well as national ice and snow sports training in the No. 27 factory. The wind tunnel of the scientific research base, as well as the research and development of domestic brands on competition wear and running shoes... All these investments are closely related to the country's overall strategy." Sun Fan said sincerely.
With Yan Wengang winning the bronze medal in the men's bobsleigh event historically, the Chinese bobsleigh sled project has ushered in a completely different development opportunity, and of course it will also encounter new challenges.
"Everyone has seen the performance of the German team in the snowmobile and sledding events in the Winter Olympics." As of February 13, the German team has won all the sledding and sledding events that have been carried out, and 3 of them have also won gold medals. Silver Medal, "They have only 40 skiing opportunities on the 'Xueyoulong' slide in total, but their research and development of equipment, the collection of track data and personal data, the perfect combination of individuals and equipment, and they continue to participate in various competitions , skating on various tracks around the world, which requires a lot of money to support." Smith said.
Therefore, although China's snowmobile and sled projects have made rapid progress, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
"For example, the 'handle' of the steel sled is the place where the athletes start to support. It looks simple from the outside, but if you open it up, there are actually many structures inside." Sun Fan introduced, "This Olympic Games We have invested a lot in the cycle, but compared with the German team, it is actually not that big. This project needs the support of a large amount of capital investment. We now have a good result as a foundation, which can help this project in the next Olympic cycle. There are better developments."
Sun Fan also specifically mentioned the key role of the national snowmobile and sled center "Xueyoulong" in the development of the project, "We expect more people, especially children, to come and experience this project, and Xueyoulong has a starting point for tourists. , it is actually very safe to start from that position, and you can also experience the feeling of speed brought by the speed. When we race in Europe, there are 4 tracks in Germany, and there are also tracks in Austria. During holidays, many parents will Bringing children to experience is the basis for the continued development of this project, and 'Xueyoulong' should also be able to play such a role."
Smith is also full of confidence in the future of sledding and sledding in China, "In my hometown of Austria, many families go to experience sleigh sledding, we should not be afraid of speed, we should respect speed, as long as we follow the established procedures. China now has very good athletes. Whether it is male or female, they make mistakes in the game, but they are all young, confident and hardworking. They need more competition and more fitness. With their own equipment, they have achieved what they have achieved and the next four years will allow them to grow into the top athletes in the world."
This newspaper, Beijing, February 13th
China Youth Daily, China Youth Daily reporter Yang Fen Source: China Youth Daily