China News Service, Beijing, March 11 (Liu Yue) Perhaps no one would have imagined that on the second day of the 2023 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, "Lin Xiaojun was convicted of violating the rules" would be on the top of the hot search list.
Weibo screenshot
At 4 pm Beijing time, the men's 500m final of the World Championships was held in Seoul, South Korea.
Italy's Siegel won the gold medal, while China's Lin Xiaojun, who had been expected to win the gold medal, failed to achieve results.
The reason is surprising: Lin Xiaojun was sentenced to a foul, and the score column is empty.
A stone stirs up a thousand waves.
After all, in the previous knockout rounds, Lin Xiaojun had outstanding results in every match.
In the men's 500m qualifying competition, he won the first place in the group and advanced smoothly; in the men's 500m group match, he slid out 40 seconds 979, and the second place in the group advanced to the quarter-finals; after that, the men's 500m quarter-finals and semi-finals, Lin Xiaojun advanced to the first place in the group.
Such a seeded player met Waterloo in the final, which instantly sparked explosive discussions on social media.
Weibo screenshot
All of a sudden, various speculations were rampant, and doubts about the organizers were endless.
Netizens took a magnifying glass and examined the live broadcast playback frame by frame, and they really found some "clues".
First, the confrontation between short track speed skating masters is often determined by the tip of the knife.
There is a "ice fan" screenshot of the moment when the player crosses the line, and draws the auxiliary line point by point, thinking that Lin Xiaojun seems to be the first to cross the line with a slight advantage from the point of view of the auxiliary line;
Weibo screenshot
Second, the live broadcast camera has its own player's personal score and name strip, but from the first lap, Lin Xiaojun's score is empty;
On the first lap of the race, Lin Xiaojun had a vacant lap time.
video screenshot
Some netizens said that Lin Xiaojun's lack of results in this match was due to a problem with the timer.
In this regard, some ice fans questioned, since there was no lap time in the first lap, why didn't the referee ask for a rematch?
In fact, the top players have already formed muscle memory in judging the outcome, and they do not need to rely on the aid of a timer. They have vision and intuition beyond ordinary people - such as the phrase "my eyes are the ruler".
At the first moment of the end of the game, Lin Xiaoyu easily raised his hand and slid to the sidelines, and the whole Chinese team was beaming.
video screenshot
However, after the on-site referee said that the result of the game might change, the coach of the Chinese team turned from excited to heavy, and the Italian player next to him showed a confused expression... Yes, this is Sigel, he was at that time You may not even realize that you will win the championship.
video screenshot
It is worth noting that after failing in the 500m final, the men's 5000m semifinals of the 2023 Short Track Speed Skating World Championships came as scheduled.
The Chinese team played by Li Wenlong, Lin Xiaojun, Liu Guanyi and Zhong Yuchen won the second place in the group with a time of 7:01.430 and successfully advanced to the final of Group A.
The "penalty" had already happened, but half an hour after the loss, Lin Xiaojun's stable competitive state was obvious to all. He showed the world the professionalism that a top athlete in the world should have.
Lin Xiaojun facing the penalty result.
video screenshot
At 18:30, Lin Xiaojun posted a post on Weibo in response to this incident: "After the 500-meter final crossing the line today, because I didn't wear a timer, I didn't have a timed result in the race. I missed the gold medal. I am really sorry, ashamed To the ice fans who have always supported me and my coaches to protect the team. I will be more prepared for the next competition, please continue to believe in me, support me, and I will continue to work hard.”
Weibo screenshot
Subsequently, the Chinese short track speed skating team reposted: "We will jointly deal with every accident in the game, share the pressure and responsibility, and continue to work hard to play the next game well."
On March 12, Lin Xiaojun will still face a number of competitions, including the men's 1000m individual event.
What happened today undoubtedly pushed the athletes' psychological pressure and the intensity of the game to the highest threshold.
In a new day, can Lin Xiaojun win the gold medal and come back against the wind?
We will wait and see.
(over)