Fourteenth Winter Exclusive Interview丨Speed skater Guo Dan: Let more people see the infinite possibilities of “rotating ice”
2024/01/19 22:21 Junction News
On January 14, the women’s team pursuit final of the speed skating open category of the 14th National Winter Games was held in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The Jiangsu team sent Guo Dan, Li Sishan, and Li Leming to compete, and finally ranked fourth with a time of 3 minutes, 07 seconds and 83 seconds. Previously, Guo Dan also won 4th place in the women’s collective start competition in the open group. “It’s a bit regretful, but I tried my best in the process and I don’t regret it if I fight hard.” Regarding the last battle of his athlete career, the 33-year-old veteran Guo Dan said this year.
Guo Dan (middle) and his teammates during the 14th Winter Games. Photo source: Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau Training Center
When the reporter contacted Guo Dan, she had just finished her fourteenth winter competition and returned to Suzhou from Hailar, Inner Mongolia. As my country’s first “rotary skater” trained by Jiangsu, Guo Dan not only won the “Grand Slam” in roller skating during his career, participated in many Asian Games, but also participated in PyeongChang as a speed skater. The Winter Olympics and the Beijing Winter Olympics are rare “winter and summer amphibious” athletes in our country. “This is my second time participating in the Winter Games. The Fourteenth Winter Games means more to me. I am already the oldest athlete on the field. This should be my last big game; at the same time, my teammates and I We also represent the southern ‘rotating ice’ athletes in the competition, and we hope that more southerners will see the infinite possibilities of ice and snow sports through us.”
Guo Dan at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics
“The goal at the beginning was definitely to get on the podium, and the two fourth places are really a bit regretful. In fact, for those one or two minutes of the game, for me, the process of long-term hard work behind it is more important. This game made me watch After I have gone through a period of systematic training, I can still make progress at this age, and I am already very happy.” From the preparations for the 14th Winter Winter Games to the competition, various experiences made Guo Dan bluntly say that “it is really difficult.” While preparations for the 14th Winter Winter Games were officially entered last year, preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games, which is of great significance to roller skaters, are also imminent. The Jiangsu team “seamlessly” switched to ice training around May after the Hangzhou Asian Games trials last year. In October last year Before and after, the Jiangsu team went out to participate in the 14th Winter Open Group Speed Skating Preliminaries. “A high ranking in the preliminaries will ensure your qualification for the finals this year. Speed skating is now very competitive in China. In fact, the individual results of the athletes in our team do not have an advantage because we are all roller skaters. I have better adaptability on the court, and in the end I entered the finals in both the team pursuit and individual mass start events.”
Guo Dan (third from left) competes at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photographed by Xinhua Daily·Junction Point reporter Wan Chengpeng/
For veteran Guo Dan himself, preparing for the Fourteenth Winter is a “race against time.” At the end of 2019, she suffered bone fractures and ligament rupture in her left ankle, and steel plates were implanted in both feet. “Actually, I thought about retiring midway. The Beijing Winter Olympics just started. I wanted to try again to see if it was possible to return to my previous competitive state. In the end, I got here step by step and showed my best in the 14th Winter Winter Games. The level I should have is a victory for me.” Guo Dan has always enjoyed his life as an athlete and has always had a firm goal: to do his best to stand on the field and win glory for the country, add color to the province, and let more people People see the successful practice of roller skating and speed skating, “Actually, as an older athlete, I encounter many difficulties in resuming training, because the goal in my heart has never changed, so I ask myself to keep moving forward, age and Injuries are no excuse.”
Guo Dan (first from left) in the roller skating arena
In Jiangsu, which has insufficient ice and snow resources and is not rich in ice and snow sports, under the development strategy of “expanding south, expanding west, and advancing east” of ice and snow sports, it has been focusing on promoting the cross-border selection model of athletes for many years. Around 2015, Guo Dan became the first domestic athlete to try to “practice both roller skating and ice skating”. Now more and more young people in Jiangsu are embarking on the path she took: In 2016, Jiangsu Province The provincial speed skating and roller skating teams were formally established on the basis of the Suzhou Excellent Roller Skating Team. Today, this team has about 15 “rotating ice” youth and adult athletes. In addition, there is also a “rotating ice” youth echelon at the grassroots level. The athletes of the Jiangsu team who participated in the open group speed skating with Guo Dan in this 14th Winter Winter Games are all “amphibious” athletes trained in the “rotating ice” model. “I hope that my process of switching from roller skating to ice skating can give some new ideas to young people who have or plan to engage in these two sports. If more people join this ranks, or realize the feasibility of ‘rotating ice’, I think it is a good choice for the development of sports and athletes.” In addition to frequent communication with his younger brothers and sisters in the team, Guo Dan found that during domestic competitions in recent years, many coaches from southern provinces would talk to They communicated with themselves about the difficulty, training, etc. of “rotating ice”. More and more provinces are also cultivating their own “rotating ice” athletes.
Guo Dan (second from left) competes at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photographed by Xinhua Daily·Junction Point reporter Wan Chengpeng/
After the 14th Winter Games, Guo Dan wrote in his circle of friends: “Twenty-two years of sports career has been wonderful and enough! A new chapter in life is about to begin.” Guo Dan, who officially announced his retirement after the 14th Winter Games, told reporters, Next, she will serve as a physical education teacher at a university in Suzhou, changing her identity, but she will never leave her beloved skating and roller skating. “I have had successes and failures along the way. After becoming a teacher, I stand on a higher and broader platform. I hope to share my experience of ‘rotating ice’, my sports career and stories related to ice and snow sports to more people.”
Standing at a new starting point, Guo Dan also has a “small goal”: to become a speaker as soon as possible. “In the past, many people may have thought that there were limitations in the development of ice and snow sports in the South, but now we see that there is a breakthrough like roller skating. I think I went to some schools, professional teams, and clubs across the country to share my experience with you: If you want to practice skating, you can open up your mind and start practicing roller skating from a young age and develop it slowly. I also hope that some people will be injured and hesitate between retiring and not retiring. I share my experience with athletes to help them get through the downturn. In short, the glory of ‘Rotation Ice’ is still to come!”
Xinhua Daily·Intersection reporter Yao Yiyi
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2024-01-19 14:21:00
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