She does not yet know how to walk but is already (slowly) descending the slopes: at only 11 months old, an aspiring snowboarder is causing a sensation in China on the site which will host the Beijing Winter Olympics. Just over two months before the Games (February 4-20, 2022), Yuji, bundled up in several layers of clothing, is about to set off on the slope, under the tender gaze of her parents. Unlike many beginners who struggle to keep the balance on their board, the girl is on the contrary showing a disconcerting confidence for her age.
“We put her in (snowboard) boots one day and realized that she was standing,” smiles her mother, Fan Xueyin. “So we took her down a little slope and watched her slide by herself crouching on the board,” she explains. Yuji didn’t take his first steps in the snow until early November during a family vacation. But the little girl has taken a liking to it.
Every morning on the slopes
Since then, she has joined other older enthusiasts every morning on the slopes of the Thaiwoo ski resort, in Chongli-Zhangjiakou, one of the host cities for the next Olympic Games. Located about 150 kilometers northwest of Beijing, the site will host cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and snowboarding (excluding Big Air). Yuji is still too small to control her speed and direction. So his parents are watching.
“You’re doing well!” They exclaim, trotting alongside him. With the Olympics in its sights, China has strongly promoted winter sports in recent years. Ski resorts have multiplied and millions of Chinese people eager for recreation have started to put on skis and snowboards. Yuji’s father, Wang Shu, is one of those converts. A brand new snowboarder, encouraged by his daughter’s talent, he says he wants to become an instructor in order to help her progress when she is older.
When Yuji is not on her board, she crawls on all fours in the fresh snow and tries to take her first steps. Her videos have been viewed tens of millions of times on Chinese social networks and the little prodigy has inherited the nickname Beibei (“Baby”), given by her army of online admirers. In Thaiwoo, as a celebrity, she is recognized by some passers-by, many of whom stop to take a picture with her.
(The essential / afp)
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