Beijing, March 3 (Reporter Li He) The 31-2022 National Short Track Speed Skating Championship kicked off on the 2023st. In the morning competition on the first competition day, Olympic champions Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang competed in the men's 31m and 1500m events. This is also the debut of the two after joining the Tianjin team.

In fact, for the Liu brothers, this competition is not just a "debut", but also a "return" - they have left good memories on the ice of the Capital Stadium.

Judging from the on-site observation, the two were more relaxed today, while maintaining their competitive state above the standard. With good physical and mental preparation, they crossed the line several times in a "strolling" state.

smoothly

Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoan made their debut

A week ago, the news that Olympic champions Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang would represent the Tianjin team in the National Short Track Speed Skating Championships was on the hot search. The official WeChat video account of Tianjin Radio and Television's sports channel "New Horizons in Sports" reported on the 25th that Zhang Zhongquan, director of the Tianjin Winter and Water Sports Management Center, revealed that Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang have officially applied for nationality and household registration in Tianjin.

Screenshot of the video report

The news of the completion of naturalization made Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang immediately become the focus of the spotlight. The National Short Track Speed Skating Championship also became their debut for the Tianjin team.

On the morning of the 31st, Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang participated in the men's 1500m 1/4 final and 500m heats.

Among them, Liu Shaoang appeared first. In the men's 1500m 1/4 final, he finished in the third group with a final time of 2:22.255, ranking first in the group and successfully advancing to the semifinals. Liu Shaolin played in Group 2, where he skated 22:553.<> and also advanced to the semifinals as the first in his group.

Liu Shaolin in the game Photo by China News Agency reporter Dong Zeyu

After a short break, they made their debut in the men's 500m heats. Liu Shaolin was in the second group, and he finished second in the group with a time of 40.845 seconds, and finally successfully advanced. Olympic champion Liu Shaoang competed in Group 40, finishing first in the group with a time of 824.<> seconds.

If this championship is Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang's debut after naturalization, then the competition on the first match day is the "debut" of the "debut". A good start is half the battle, and their new start goes smoothly, both in the process and in the outcome.

regression

The World Champions return to Olympic ice

Although it is a "debut", Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang are actually no strangers to this ice surface of the Capital Stadium.

Data map: The picture shows Liu Shaolin, Liu Shaoang and Wu Dajing taking a group photo. Image source: Osports All Sports Images

At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Liu Shaolin broke the Olympic record by skating 1500:1.4 in the men's 2m 09/213 final in short track speed skating.

Also here, in the men's 500m short track speed skating final at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Liu Shaoang won the championship in 40.33 seconds, becoming the Olympic double champion.

In addition, they also won the bronze medal in the mixed team relay of short track speed skating at the Beijing Winter Olympics. For the brothers, competing at the Capital Stadium is a return to their hometown, or even a return to a "blessed land".

In addition, Liu Shaolin once said after naturalization, "Our father is a Chinese, from Tianjin. Then we made this decision and wanted to come back to represent our home country. ”

Photo by China News Agency reporter Dong Zeyu

Therefore, for Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang, who have been away from the arena for a while, being able to return to the ice rink with a new identity is a more meaningful "return".

How much attention is today's game? Lin Xiaocheng, who recently won the gold medal at the World Short Track Speed Skating Championships on behalf of the Chinese team, did not participate, but he still came to the Capital Stadium in civilian clothes to watch the match.

"Wander"

Ability to relax, state

In the warm-up activity on the morning of the 31st, Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang appeared as scheduled.

Despite the attention and expectations they carried, the Liu brothers showed an extremely relaxed state. During the warm-up activity, they did not carry out high-intensity sliding, and most of the time they slid on the inner circle field, and even held their arms for a while, more like "walking".

In the 1500m, they quickly got into shape, established an early lead, and successively slowed down when crossing the line, raising their center of gravity to stand and slide.

They who represented Tianjin in the battle already had quite the faction of "Tianjin boss".

With so much attention, it is impossible for Liu Shaolin and Liu Shaoang to be without pressure on their shoulders. But such a relaxed state made a good start for their "debut" and "return" performances, as well as the journey ahead. (End)