China News Agency, Lhasa, June 27th. Title: China’s first ski world champion Guo Dandan: Promoting ice and snow sports to help the Beijing Winter Olympics
China News Agency reporter Ran Wenjuan
“The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing. For us’Iceman’, a dream has come true. Although I cannot participate as an athlete, I will participate in this event with the greatest enthusiasm.” I am participating in charity in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region Guo Dandan, China’s first ski world champion at the event, told reporters.
He started skiing at the age of 11 and won the first World Cup gold medal in the history of Chinese skiing at the age of 17. Guo Dandan used her life experience to interpret the Olympic spirit, and she also witnessed the changes and growth of China’s ice and snow sports.
Recalling a “battle” recorded in the annals of history in 1997, Guo Dandan could not hide his excitement. In this year’s World Cup Freestyle Skiing Series in Australia, Guo Dandan chose the most difficult action for women in the world at that time. Her outstanding performance allowed her to win the aerials championship and realized China’s snow sports in the world competition. The gold medal “zero” breakthrough. She still remembered that after the ranking came out, the award ceremony was not held for a long time. It turned out that “the organizers did not expect China to win the championship, so they temporarily borrowed the Chinese flag.”
The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan was at the peak of Guo Dandan’s athletic state, but in the test jump ten minutes before the start, she fell from a height of more than ten meters, fractured and broke her hamstring. With severe pain, Guo Dandan clenched his teeth and insisted on completing the game. After the medical staff entered the field, she insisted on greeting the audience and walked out of the field by herself, refusing to sit on a stretcher.
Guo Dandan’s experience has inspired many athletes to work hard. In her view: “The Olympic spirit is not only the pursuit of higher, faster, and stronger, standing on the highest podium, but also tenacious hard work, never giving up, and even more demeanor and attitude towards winning or losing after hard work. “
Guo Dandan regretted saying goodbye to the arena in 2001. After retiring, the meaning of life is no longer to stand on the championship podium, but Guo Dandan’s “fate of ice and snow” continues. In 2003, she came to Chongli, Hebei, opened a ski school, organized a skiing charity competition, and carried out snow and ice activities on campus. She has spared no effort to promote ice and snow sports for nearly 20 years.
“I was born for Xue, and I am very fortunate to have been engaged in the career I love.” Guo Dandan said that the former athlete’s career has tempered his will and quality and has become the most valuable asset in life. It’s all’trivial’ in comparison.”
Guo Dandan also witnessed the development of China’s ice and snow sports into the “fast lane”. She said that since the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics, China’s ice and snow sports projects have made great strides forward in terms of venue construction, equipment manufacturing, sports training, the number of participants, and the popularization of knowledge. “When I was an athlete, skiing was still very niche. Now there are a lot of’ski enthusiasts’, and more and more people are enjoying the happiness brought by ice and snow sports.”
As a member of the Beijing Winter Olympics propaganda team, Guo Dandan is currently busy and exciting at work. She tells the stories of the Winter Olympics to audiences across the country and spreads the spirit of the Winter Olympics. “I look forward to Chinese athletes achieving good results in the Beijing Winter Olympics, and I also hope that the future of China’s ice and snow sports will be more exciting.” (End)
【Editor in charge: Yu Qi】
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