Looking forward to the best performance at the Beijing Winter Olympics

Pictured is Hong Kong athlete Chu Ding-man. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Binghui

In an ice rink in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong, the reporter met Zhu Dingwen, a short track speed skater in Hong Kong, China. The Beijing Winter Olympics are about to open, and he is making final preparations here. This was originally an ice hockey rink located in a large shopping mall, but due to the lack of a standard short track speed skating venue in Hong Kong and the inability to go to the mainland for training due to the epidemic, Zhu Dingwen could only temporarily "grievance" here. Despite the many inconveniences, he still tried to overcome them as much as possible.

"I can practice, but there is still a little limitation. This is the standard field of a piece of ice hockey, which is small compared to the short track field. He pointed to the black marker block on the ice and said: "It's the same as international competitions, but if we do outer ring overtaking, or with absolute speed, we may hit the baffle." ”

As the only ice athlete in the Hong Kong team in China at the Winter Olympics, Zhu Dingwen, who will compete in the men's short track speed skating 500 meters, admitted that the pressure is greater: "I still have some gaps compared with the world's top athletes in all aspects, and I hope to make all-round preparations in the remaining preparation time, including mentality, physical fitness, explosiveness, etc., and look forward to the best performance on this stage." ”

"There is no specific goal for the results, just want to show the best state, if you can play the content of the usual training, the results should not be bad."

According to the plan, Zhu Dingwen will leave on the 27th to complete his first winter Olympic tour. In fact, this dream of the Winter Olympics was expected to come true four years ago. In preparation for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Zhu Dingwen injured his ankle and needed at least four months to recover, but since it was less than three months before the start of the tournament, he had to choose to give up.

In the days of injury, with the help of coach Sun Dandan, he stepped out of the shadows and quickly returned to the ice rink. Sun suffered a similar injury before representing The Chinese team at the Nagano Winter Olympics, but she later not only took to the Olympic stage, but also won a silver medal. With her encouragement and support, I no longer feel sad and have always had the hope of participating in the Olympic Games. ”

Although he is a Young Man from Hong Kong, during the interview, Zhu Dingwen spoke with a "Northeast accent". He joked that for the sake of long-term training in the mainland, Northeast dialect is the "official language" of the team, "Our coach is a Northeasterner, and the team has been training in Changchun and other places for a long time, plus there are exchanges with local athletes and coaches, so the speech has this 'big ballast flavor'." He said.

Looking back on the two years under the epidemic, Zhu Dingwen lamented the many difficulties of the short track speed skating team in Hong Kong, China. "After the outbreak, we couldn't go back to the mainland, and the ice rink in Hong Kong was open and closed, and we didn't train on the ice for about a year. Coupled with the lack of a game, we weren't able to get to know the opponent in time. Therefore, it is also a miracle that the Hong Kong team can qualify for the Winter Olympics this time. ”

Chu Hopes that their inspirational stories will lead to the better development of ice and snow sports in Hong Kong. "The Hong Kong team is not easy, and qualifying for the Winter Olympics involves everyone's efforts, and I hope that the general public can support us a lot." I hope that through the atmosphere of the Winter Olympics, Hong Kong can promote ice and snow sports more, such as opening interest classes, so that citizens can better participate in ice and snow sports. ”

(According to Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, January 24)