On the evening of the 14th, at the Beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing women's aerial skills final, Xu Mengtao successfully won the gold medal in the event she is most familiar with.
After winning the championship, she roared up to the sky, and in the hug with her opponent, she couldn't help crying. These were tears of happiness.
From her appearance at the Vancouver Winter Olympics to the top podium in Beijing, Xu Mengtao has been waiting for this Winter Olympics gold medal for 12 years.
This time, she can fully enjoy the joy of victory.
Looking back at Zhangjiakou Yunding Ski Park on the evening of February 10, there is warmth in the cold wind.
In the Beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing aerial skills mixed team final, Jia Zongyang, the second Chinese team player, made a mistake in the game.
In the end, the Chinese team consisting of Xu Mengtao, Jia Zongyang and Qi Guangpu won the silver medal.
When Jia Zongyang finished the action and walked to the waiting area, Xu Mengtao, who had been waiting there, sent a warm hug to his teammates.
This hug is worth more than a thousand words.
The picture shows Xu Mengtao in the game.
"The three of us are together, there is nothing to be afraid of, we have to advance together, we have to retreat together." Xu Mengtao said after the game, a warm feeling welled up in everyone's heart.
The polishing of time has made her realize that success is not as easy as she imagined.
The Beijing Winter Olympics is Xu Mengtao's fourth time to set foot on the Winter Olympics.
The only thing missing from the 31-year-old's honor book is a Winter Olympics gold medal.
On the night of the 14th, she finally realized her dream.
The picture shows Xu Mengtao celebrating after the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Yujia
"Snow Princess" coming out of the barbecue stall
Getting to know skiing
Xu Mengtao's father is a sports fan. It is his lifelong dream to practice gymnastics, become a professional athlete and stand on the Olympic podium.
When he discovered that his daughter was extremely flexible, he devoted himself to developing her into a professional athlete.
At that time, Xu Mengtao's family set up barbecue stalls for business, and the economic situation was not good. His father built a simple training ground to help his daughter train.
Since the age of 4, Xu Mengtao has been practicing gymnastics with Zhang Liping, the coach of the Anshan Military Sports School.
With her excellent understanding, she was selected into the Liaoning Provincial Gymnastics Team at the age of 8.
At the 9th Liaoning Provincial Games in 2002, 12-year-old Xu Mengtao won 3 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze.
But at that time, she was already over 1.60 meters tall, so she had little advantage in continuing to practice gymnastics.
So in this year, Xu Mengtao's father sent her to Chen Hongbin, then the teacher of Shenyang Sports Institute and the head coach of the national team, and began to engage in freestyle skiing.
Xu Mengtao's life trajectory changed, and a "Snow Princess" was born.
The picture shows Xu Mengtao in the game.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita
A well-deserved "talented" player
Show your edge
After switching to freestyle skiing aerial skills, Xu Mengtao's progress was astonishing, and she soon realized her talent.
In 2007, Xu Mengtao won the first World Youth Championship freestyle skiing aerial skills championship for the Chinese team.
In 2009, she won her first World Cup title in Moscow.
In this way, she has become the most concerned star in the Chinese team's project.
Time flies fast, 19-year-old Xu Mengtao ushered in her first Winter Olympics.
The picture shows Xu Mengtao in the game.
Winter Olympics regulars
year 2010
In the Vancouver Winter Olympics, in the women's freestyle skiing final in aerial skills, facing a group of strong players who were eyeing the gold medal, the young Xu Mengtao made a mistake in the second jump and finally ranked sixth.
"I'm here to fight for the gold medal. If you give me another four years, I'll have no problem winning the gold medal." At that time, Xu Mengtao had great ambitions and had infinite yearning for the future.
Year 2014
After 4 years of precipitation, Xu Mengtao has become more and more mature.
Sochi Winter Olympics, she made a comeback.
On the evening of February 14, local time, in the women's freestyle skiing finals at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Xu Mengtao accelerated, flew, flipped, and landed in one go, winning the silver medal with 83.50 points.
After winning her first Winter Olympics silver medal, Xu Mengtao was not satisfied.
"I'm going to hide this silver medal first and take it out when I get the gold medal. I already have a lot of gold medals, all of which are in the display cabinet at home, but none of them are as important as the Olympic gold medals."
She longs for one day to be able to hang her own Olympic gold medal at home.
2018
This is the third time to set foot on the Winter Olympics. In Pyeongchang, Xu Mengtao has reached the best state in terms of technology and mentality.
Before the game, she left a ruthless saying "if you can't win the gold medal, you will retire", and she walked onto the field without hesitation.
But fate played a joke on her again.
In the second jump, Xu Mengtao made a mistake and fell on the ground, which was distressing.
Gold medal, once again missed her.
After the game, Xu Mengtao couldn't help crying.
"I don't want to cry, I really tried my best, it's really not easy, I really want to fight for this gold medal!"
Soon after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Xu Mengtao announced her retirement on social media.
But she, who has always been one-of-a-kind, broke her promise this time.
For the sake of her dream, she wanted to fight again.
The picture shows Xu Mengtao's heart-to-heart after the game.
Inescapable injury
Injured
Over the years, Xu Mengtao has always been unable to escape the word "injury" on the road of growth.
Years passed by her, leaving the mark of injury.
"Broken ligaments in both legs twice and underwent four major surgeries. The first serious injury was when she was 19 years old. Shortly after the injury, she participated in the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and the nails in her knees had not been taken out... ..." Xu Mengtao's father once counted his daughter's injuries.
Everyone gave Xu Mengtao the aura of "genius", but behind this, there was a shocking injury diagnosis report: rupture of the anterior cruciate belt of the knee, sprain of the medial collateral ligament, deformation of the posterior angle of the medial meniscus, multiple bone contusions, joint effusion... …
Whenever she stretches out in the air, her parents watching in front of the TV are full of worries.
Xu Mengtao rejected the second elder's "request" for her to retire, and she persisted through the darkest moment of injury.
It's hard for you to imagine that Xu Mengtao, who loves to laugh, has suffered so many injuries.
On February 11, the medal presentation ceremony for the mixed team of freestyle skiing aerial skills at the Beijing Winter Olympics was held.
The picture shows Chinese team players Jia Zongyang (middle), Xu Mengtao (left) and Qi Guangpu (right) at the medal presentation ceremony.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Yujia
Beijing, a dream come true
2022
"From 2018 to the present, I have taken one step at a time and made it to this day steadily, without giving up every bit of my efforts."
After stepping through the thorns, Xu Mengtao's footsteps are still firm, and the driving force that supports her to reach today is the unshakable love in her heart.
In his bones, the unyielding temperament made Xu Mengtao unwilling to be reconciled to the arrangement of fate, and eager to change his fate against the sky.
"I hope to show the best performance in the Beijing Winter Olympics, and then use my most perfect moves to bloom in the Beijing Winter Olympics!" Xu Mengtao said.
2022
Xu Mengtao, who failed in the team competition, is still working hard for her dream.
In the daytime freestyle skiing women's aerial skills qualifying competition on the 14th, Xu Mengtao successfully broke through with a score of 101.10. In the competition, she was still so confident.
She is eager to break through, after all, she has been waiting for this gold medal for too long.
February 14, 2022
On the evening of February 14th, in the women's freestyle skiing finals, Xu Mengtao once again soared into the sky.
This time, she finally realized her dream.
From the "genius girl" of the year to the current veteran, Xu Mengtao has always been confident and tenacious.
This night is destined to belong to the person who loves skiing.
(Author: Liu Xingchen)