Executive summary:On the evening of February 18, at the starting point of the National Biathlon Center, 30 runners were ready to go. They were regarding to start the men’s 15-kilometer group start race, which was the last biathlon event of this Winter Olympics.
Photo ①: On February 15, Kong Fanying was in the women’s downhill competition in alpine skiing.Photo by our reporter Yi Xiao
Photo ②: On February 18, Sui Wenjing (left)/Han Cong in the pair skating short program competition.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong
Photo ③: On February 18, Cheng Fangming competed in the men’s 15-kilometer group start race in biathlon.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Peng Ziyang
Not afraid of challenges, performance is getting better and better
Our reporter Fan Jiayuan
On the evening of February 18, at the starting point of the National Biathlon Center, 30 runners were ready to go. They were regarding to start the men’s 15-kilometer group start race, which was the last biathlon event of this Winter Olympics.
In a red and yellow ski suit, Chinese biathlon player Cheng Fangming stands in the starting line. If the biathlon competition at the Winter Olympics represents the highest level of the sport, then the competitors in the “collective start” sub-event are “masters of the masters” – 30 qualifications include this season’s World Cup points before the 15 players and 15 players with better performances in the biathlon events of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Therefore, in order to achieve full participation in biathlon at the Winter Olympics, players must not only qualify for the Winter Olympics before the competition, but also perform at the Winter Olympics.
Cheng Fangming is the only Asian player among the participating athletes, and is the first Chinese team member to qualify for this event since the Chinese sports delegation participated in the Winter Olympics in 1980. In this Winter Olympics, Cheng Fangming can be described as a “full-time athlete”. Before this game, he participated in 5 events. In the 12.5-kilometer pursuit race, Cheng Fangming finished 22nd with a time of 43 minutes 30 seconds 4, creating the best result of Chinese biathlon athletes in the Winter Olympics in this event. Cheng Fangming said: “I participated in all the competitions. Although I felt a little tired in the last two competitions, I was still very excited and happy.”
The men’s 15-kilometer group start requires players to slide 5 laps on the 3-kilometer snow track, and interspersed with 4 rounds of shooting in the middle. On the day of the game, affected by the cold air, the body temperature in the Zhangjiakou competition area was as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius.
After completing the first lap of 3 kilometers of skiing, he entered the first round of horizontal shooting. Cheng Fangming only hit 1 target position following firing all 5 bullets and 3 spare bullets, and 4 missed targets meant that he would be shot. Penalty for 600 meters skiing. After a bad start, Cheng Fangming’s time behind the first player expanded from 26.9 seconds to 2 minutes and 29 seconds. “As long as I participate, I must be myself and insist on completing the game.” Cheng Fangming said. Cheng Fangming performed better and better in the last 4 laps, and in the next 3 rounds of shooting, all his 15 bullets hit. In the end, Cheng Fangming finished the race with a time of 44 minutes 26 seconds 8.
Persevere to the end, do your best to cross the line
Our reporters Liu Shuoyang and Peijuan
On February 17, on the track of the National Alpine Skiing Center, Kong Fanying, the last starter of the women’s all-around alpine skiing competition, crossed the last hillside and entered the sight of people waiting at the finish line. Watching her figure flicker and move between the flag gates, the waiting people began to cheer for her. “Kong Fanying! Come on!” Outside the arch of the finish line, these five words gradually converged into a sound wave, accompanying her across the finish line.
Kong Fanying passed the arch smoothly, and the audience’s nervousness instantly turned into a burst of cheers. This is the fifth event she participated in at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The 15th place in the women’s all-around alpine skiing is the best result of the Chinese team in the alpine skiing event of the Winter Olympics. With 5 full attendance and 5 completions, Kong Fanying’s achievements are equally precious among the Chinese team players who have made breakthroughs in this Winter Olympics. She said: “Being able to compete from the first to the last, and all finished, I tried my best, and there is indeed a gap between the top players.”
On February 7, in the women’s giant slalom competition, Kong Fanying completed her first show at the Winter Olympics. On February 17, she completed her last individual event, the women’s all-around competition. Later, she and her teammates will represent the Chinese team in the mixed team event.
Kong Fanying said: “From the first to the last, the training intensity of the competition is very strong every day, and the only way is to stick to it.” Because there is still a certain gap between the results and the top players, Kong Fanying’s appearance order is often lower. When they got on the starting platform, the players in front had already pressed the ice-like snow into smooth ice. Kong Fanying said: “The women’s all-around competition field has more ice than the slalom competition day, and it takes more physical effort to skate on it.”
In this Winter Olympics, Kong Fanying and his teammates performed very well. Kong Fanying smiled: “This time the alpine ski team is running! Our ice and snow sports are getting better and better, and the alpine ski team will continue to make breakthroughs.”
Race to the top, slide out of good shape
Our reporter Zheng Yi Li Shuo
Crossing the finish line, Ning Zhongyan looked up at the big screen. 1 minute 08 seconds 60, this is his best time on the plain ice rink. But it was 0.12 seconds away from standing on the podium.
On February 18, the National Speed Skating Stadium “Ice Ribbon” ushered in the men’s 1000m speed skating final at the Beijing Winter Olympics. In the recent men’s 1500m speed skating competition, Ning Zhongyan won the seventh place. “It was my first time participating in the Winter Olympics, and I had high expectations for myself and was a little nervous,” he said.
After the game, the coach and teammates helped Ning Zhongyan open up his heart, ease his nervousness, and gradually regain his state. In the 2021-2022 World Cup, Ning Zhongyan won the Chinese team’s first gold medal in the men’s 1000-meter speed skating competition. Although he has the technical characteristics of strong ability to maintain speed in the back-end, he is not dominant in the 1,000-meter arena with shorter distances and more emphasis on the first half, but his good state is full of expectations.
The courage to challenge oneself stems from the determination of the Chinese men’s speed skating team to strive to catch up with the world’s top players. With determination to fight for the first place, Ning Zhongyan stood on the starting line of the 1000-meter track. With each step forward, he struggled with the technical details to finish fifth. Ning Zhongyan said: “I tried my best to be satisfied with my performance.”
Smooth promotion, looking forward to better performance
Our reporter Ji Fang Li Yang
With a score of 84.41 points, the best result of the short program season, the Chinese team players Sui Wenjing/Han Cong completed their appearance in the Beijing Winter Olympics figure skating pair skating competition in excellent form.
On February 18, the figure skating pair skating competition kicked off at the Capital Gymnasium. The two Chinese pairs, Sui Wenjing/Han Cong and Peng Cheng/Jin Yang, both performed well, ranking first and fifth in the short program respectively, and successfully advanced to the free skating competition. The appearance of the two pairs of groups received enthusiastic cheers from the audience. Sui Wenjing said: “I feel empowered to hear so many people cheering for us.”
Sui Wenjing/Han Cong appeared in black competition uniforms and performed the performances vividly. In the previous team competition, they have refreshed the season’s best result in the short program. This time they appeared in the pair skating arena, and once once more played at a high level, they improved the season’s best result by more than 1 point. In the short program competition, Tarasova/Morozov and Mishna/Galiamov from the Russian Olympic Committee team refreshed their best results of the season, ranking second and third respectively. promotion. In the free skating competition on the 19th, I expect the Chinese team players to maintain their state and continue to create good results.
original title: galloping ice and snow competition (Winter Olympic telephoto)