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Young skaters carry new hopes
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-16 07:46
TURIN, Italy: Although China's speed skating team again failed to end the
country's gold medal drought at the ongoing Turin Winter Olympic Games, a new
crop of young skaters has boosted the country's hopes.
During the women's 500m speed skating competition on Tuesday, considered one
of the biggest gold medal opportunities for China, veteran skater Wang Manli
failed to make a breakthrough for her country in the event, finishing second
after Svetlana Zhurova of Russia. Meanwhile, young skater Ren Hui lit up the
crowd by surprisingly winning the bronze.
"I'm very satisfied with my skating today," said the 23-year-old bronze
medallist. "My goal at the event was only finishing in the top eight before the
competition, so I felt no pressure at all. Maybe that's why I performed well."
Another young Chinese skater Wang Beixing, who also has a strong chance for a
medal, ranked eighth, and her team-mate Xing Aihua finished 13th.
Led by such young guns, China, which had experienced speed skating glory more
than 10 years ago, is ready to reclaim the brilliance soon.
"On the women's side, especially in the short distance events, we have some
young skaters who skated well recently, and they are the new hopes of China,"
said Xiao Hua, team leader of the nation's speed skating team.
The achievement gained by Chinese speed skaters goes back to the 1960s.
In 1963, Luo Zhihuan won the men's 1,500m title at the World Speed Skating
Championships in Nagano, Japan, which was the first world championships gold
medal for China in winter sports.
Wang Xiuli, born in the year when Luo made the breakthrough for China, won
women's 1,500m at the World Championships in Ottawa, Canada, in 1990.
At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, Ye Qiaobo won the first
winter Olympic medal for China by grabbing two silver medals in women's 500m and
1,000m.
But since the "Ye Qiaobo era" ended in 1994, China's
speed skating has been stuck in the doldrums.
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