(Beijing Winter Olympics) "Flower Road" starting point for figure skating masters
China News Agency, Beijing, February 20th: The starting point of the "Flower Road" of the figure skating generals
China News Agency reporter Zhang Su
The lights are dimmed, the music is changed, and the figure skaters are completely relaxed, talking, laughing, and joking.
It's show time.
The top players who are accompanied by "ice" these days are very familiar with the ice rink in the Capital Gymnasium.
From the opening day of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4 to the day before the closing of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the figure skating competition runs through the period.
The team competition "started", followed by men's singles, ice dancing, women's singles, and pair skating. They left countless marks on this ice.
The exit where the players usually walk off the ice rink has been redecorated, and a huge "2022" light sign stands on the side of the field, together with a circle of arches, paving a "flower road", as if leading to the future.
Standing at the starting point, take inventory first.
A total of 5 gold medals have been won in the figure skating event of this Winter Olympics, and the 4 individual gold medals have all witnessed the "coronation" of new faces.
Men's singles champion Chen Wei from the U.S. team was only fifth in Pyeongchang due to a major mistake. Sherbakova, the women's singles champion and player from the Russian Olympic Committee, was not promoted to the senior group four years ago.
After a Winter Olympics cycle, they have become a new generation of leaders.
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
Ice dancing and pair skating are both "up to a new level" by the silver medalist at the last Winter Olympics.
In ice dancing, the French combination Papadages/Cizeron broke the highest score held by themselves and won the championship.
The two battle-hardened legends say they've never been so desperate for a gold medal in their entire careers, "except this one."
In pairs skating, from missing the gold medal at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics by a margin of 0.43 points to winning the gold by a narrow margin of 0.63 points, the Chinese duo Sui Wenjing/Han Cong crossed the gap.
They have been plagued by doubts and illnesses, and the hardships are indescribable.
"It feels like there is no way from the beginning." Sui Wenjing changed her words, "But what if there is no way? Just create a way."
These new Winter Olympic champions and a group of players who competed on the same field have opened up a "new road" for figure skating.
For example, after the men's players, the women's players started the "quad jump" era.
The women's singles champion Shcherbakova, the runner-up Trusova, and Valieva, who was temporarily ranked fourth, jumped a total of 9 "quad jumps" in the free skating final.
The "Sui-Han Combination", who won the gold medal in pair skating on the closing day of the figure skating competition, won with the difficult "twist around" action.
Although their success rate of "twisting for three weeks" is as high as 95%, "twisting four is more than two points more than twisting three", and "the difficulty is a pursuit of the Olympic spirit".
On February 19, the Chinese pair Sui Wenjing (left)/Han Cong won the pair skating championship at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics figure skating pair skating free skating competition at the Capital Gymnasium.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Mao Jianjun
In fact, it is the "Never Give Up" spirit of the "Sui and Han Combination" that not only made the IOC President Bach, who was watching the game, praised "this is the glory of figure skating", but also convinced his opponents.
When someone questioned the unfairness of the referee's score, Russian meritorious coach Tatyana Tarasova came forward and said, "The Chinese combination is simply too outstanding."
It is true that there have been some problems on and off the field of figure skating at this Winter Olympics. Some players were forced to withdraw due to medical reasons, the "doping incident" is still pending, the award ceremony for the team competition is still in the future, and there are also unreasonable selection methods for athletes. Foreign media's alleged racial discrimination, criticism of the ISU and the current scoring system, etc., are all worthy of more reflection.
Fortunately, figure skaters from different teams walked along the "Flower Road" and gathered together during the performance skating, and then slid out of the "concentric circles", and then formed the "Olympic Five Rings", vividly interpreting the Beijing Winter Olympics. The slogan "Together to the future".
Whether it's a victory or a moment of disappointment, the sport and its impact on the world are more promising through the winter Olympics of figure skating masters.
Belgian female figure skating player Ondrix came to Beijing this time through crowdfunding, cherishing every practice and every match at the Capital Gymnasium even more.
Mexican figure skating brother Donovan Carrillo is also worried about funding issues. After coming to Beijing, he has already planned to build a professional ice rink in his hometown that meets the standards of the Winter Olympics.
With the rise of the national tide, Chinese traditional culture also has a "home field advantage" in the international arena.
The picture shows Chinese player Jin Boyang wearing a dazzling Chinese red Costen in his individual event competition on February 10.
Image source: Visual China
The Chinese men's singles player Jin Boyang, who actively showed the enthusiasm of the host, smiled brightly and said, "I don't feel good in my heart."
Seeing a steady stream of newcomers from other teams, he felt he was more responsible for driving the children to participate in figure skating, so that the reserve force could come up as soon as possible.
Zhao Hongbo, the head coach of the pair skating of the Chinese figure skating team, finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish of "the champion of the Winter Olympics brings out the champion of the Winter Olympics".
He said that the Winter Olympics is a platform for self-expression, and it is exactly what they should do to drive more people to participate in ice and snow sports.
(over)