(Beijing Winter Olympics) "Joy of Joy and Joy" in Figure Skating
China News Agency, Beijing, February 18th: "Joy and Joy" of Figure Skating Qunfang
China News Agency reporter Zhang Su
On the closing day of the women's single skating competition in the Beijing Winter Olympics, countless cameras recorded the tears of the girls: the champion Valieva covered her face and cried after her defeat, but she failed to get the highest award after using the highest difficulty. Taiwan's Trusova cried and said "I hate skating", and the American player Chen Kaiwen, who fell to the ground, burst into tears...
On one ice rink, the figure skating crowd shared joys and sorrows.
On February 17, Russian Olympic Committee athlete Anna Shcherbakova competes.
On the same day, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics figure skating women's single skating free skating competition was held at the Capital Gymnasium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
Although players from the Russian Olympic Committee won the championship and runner-up in the ending, the plot has been rewritten compared to the PyeongChang stadium four years ago.
The biggest change is the "difficulty" of the action.
In Beijing, female athletes have also begun to boldly use "quad jumps", especially Trusova.
She performed five "quad jumps" in one breath in the free skating, which is comparable to the movement configuration of Chen Wei, the men's singles champion in figure skating at the Winter Olympics.
In fact, people have seen her holding a translator to ask Chen Wei for advice. "I always wanted to be a player like him," Trusova said.
Sherbakova, the figure skating women's singles champion at the Beijing Winter Olympics, didn't let up too much.
Her total score can even be among the top 12 in the men's singles.
"I said in Vancouver that in the future, not only boys will have 'quad jumps', but girls will also have them." Russian figure skating legend Plushenko analyzed that the current figure skating event is at a historic moment, "I just can't Imagine what the 2026, 2030 Winter Olympics will look like."
On February 17, Russian Olympic Committee athlete Alexandra Trusova competes.
On the same day, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics figure skating women's single skating free skating competition was held at the Capital Gymnasium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
Even female athletes who have not yet conquered the "quadruple jump" are beginning to attack the ceiling of the "triple jump".
Seven of the 30 runners who participated in the short program included the Axel triple jump on their action schedule.
However, "difficulty" alone is not enough.
Ice fans who have difficulty understanding why Trusova failed to win hard, may be able to find the answer from the table "The Referee's Detailed Scores for Each Athlete" published by the International Skating Federation.
In this Winter Olympics cycle, the referees further demanded the "accuracy" of actions.
From the short program to the free skating, many players' jumps seemed to land perfectly, but in fact they were deducted or downgraded because of the lack of air rotation.
For example, the first jump of Chinese player Zhu Yi's individual short program used the triple jump on the back ice. Although he did not fall, he was relegated due to insufficient weeks.
However, as the scoring tendency changes, the long-standing contradictions in figure skating become more and more prominent.
As the Japanese figure skater Akiko Suzuki, who participated in the Winter Olympics twice, said, "cherishing oneself" and "competitiveness" are incompatible.
On February 17, Russian Olympic Committee athlete Kamila Valieva competed.
On the same day, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics figure skating women's single skating free skating competition was held at the Capital Gymnasium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
Akiko Suzuki, who is 1.61 meters tall, revealed in a recent interview that she suffered from anorexia during her military service, and her weight dropped from 48 kg to 32 kg.
Coincidentally, Lipnitskaya, the "genius girl" who helped the host win the first team championship in the history of figure skating at the Sochi Winter Olympics, also suffered from anorexia due to weight loss.
U.S. figure skater Gold is suffering from "depression, anxiety and eating disorders" and has missed the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
"Growing up" means endless problems for female athletes engaged in figure skating events. Unfortunately, there is less and less time left for them to overcome the "development barrier".
From Lipnitskaya, to the women's singles gold medalist Zagitova and silver medalist Medvedeva at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, they all retired early.
One of the reasons is that younger, thinner and easier to jump juniors quickly "take over".
Sherbakova, who had perfectly "replaced" Zagitova and Medvedeva in this Winter Olympics cycle in the past, was immediately asked if she would retire after winning the championship.
"I haven't thought about the future, but I really want to keep going. I can't imagine life without skating," said Shcherbakova, who is only 17 years old. "I don't know what my future career will be like, but I Definitely not ready to retire."
On the other hand, people are generally worried that the competition age of figure skating women's singles is constantly advancing, which deviates from the original intention of the sport.
After all, figure skating scores not only have technical points, but also artistic performance points.
Obviously, the players' understanding of music and the level of performance are often enriched with the accumulation of competition experience and life experience.
In fact, the International Skating Federation has already started to raise the minimum age limit for senior athletes from 15 to 17 years old. This regulation may be implemented from the 2023-2024 season.
Another report said that Valieva, who was under the age of 16, was protected because she was a minor after being exposed to a "doping incident", which may accelerate the implementation of the new regulations.
The female players who are in the "In the Mood for Love" should have achieved the most beautiful hymn on the ice together.
Fortunately, it is not only sadness that remains in the Beijing arena.
Standing on the podium, the women's singles third runner-up Hanaori Sakamoto, who was about to laugh her eyes away, said that she will use skating to convey freedom, tolerance and happiness, and then she will "skate more energetically".
Hearing these words, some ice fans left a message saying that thanks to her, "let us feel the vitality and happiness from skating".
(over)