BEIJING: Gu Ailing, 18, became China’s first female gold medalist on snow, performing a previously unseen trick in the freeski big air competition at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on February 8.
“That was the best moment of my life,” Gu said after the race. “The happiest moment, day, of my life. I just cannot believe what just happened.”
In freeski big air’s Olympic debut, Gu stomped a double cork 1620 with a safety grab, a stunt she had never accomplished in previous competitions or training sessions, and thus secured China’s third gold at the Games.
“It was breathtaking to see this level of performance… I can’t imagine what must have gone through her head before doing it,” said Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who witnessed the historic moment on site.
Gu, known as Eileen in the U.S., was born in San Francisco to a Chinese mother and American father. She has been coming out for Team China since 2019.
At the ensuing press conference, Gu expressed her gratitude to both China, the U.S. and both teams for their enduring support. “I feel like sports really are a way we can unite people; it doesn’t have to be something that’s related to nationality, and it’s not something that can be used to divide people. We are all out here together pushing the human limit,” she said.
“With the coronavirus pandemic still a reality for all of us and at a time when the world feels more divided than ever, Beijing 2022 will be an important moment to bring the world together in the spirit of peace, friendship and solidarity,” Bach said, echoing the new Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together.”
Prepare and present
Having already successfully hosted the Summer Olympics 14 years ago, Beijing becomes the first city to stage both summer and winter editions of the grandest of all global sporting events.
The Games kicked off on February 4, the fourth day of the first lunar month, right during the Spring Festival holiday, China’s most important traditional celebration. They will last until February 20. The Paralympic Games will then run from March 4 to 13.
Although the pandemic resulted in the postponement, or even cancelation, of several test events, organizers managed to get everything ready for the Winter Games to be held on schedule. A range of strict COVID-19 countermeasures based on IOC and International Paralympic Committee policies are in place to ensure the safety of participants and locals.
All events take place within a closed-loop management system to reduce the risk of mass contagion. “We can see the closed loop is working. The Chinese people are safe, and the participants of the Games are safe,” Bach said.
Organizers, staff and volunteers work to make life in the loop as convenient and fun as possible. The Olympic venues and their surroundings have achieved full 5G coverage, as have the high-speed rails leading into the area. Cocktail-shaking robots, smart beds and other equipment featuring advanced technologies are all available in the Olympic Village.
“The room, the venue and other facilities are great,” Thai cross-country skier Karen Chanloung told Beijing Review.
With a green, inclusive, open, and clean approach in preparing for the Beijing 2022 Games, organizers have exerted many efforts to minimize the environmental impact, and bring about new development for the region and a better life for its people. This is also the first-ever Olympics whose venues are exclusively powered by clean energy from renewable sources and which use carbon dioxide to make ice.
A lot of thought went into giving athletes a memorable experience. For example, designers made several alterations during construction so that the S-shaped curve of the National Ski Jumping Center, located in the Zhangjiakou competition zone, gives athletes a view of the Great Wall as they prepare to takeoff.
Nicknamed Snow Ruyi, the venue features traditional Chinese culture as it resembles the shape of a ruyi, a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good luck.
“I love the tracks and the atmosphere here in Beijing,” said Therese Johaug of Norway who claimed the first gold of the Beijing 2022 Games in the women’s skiathlon at the National Cross-Country Skiing Center on February 5. The win also marked her first individual gold medal. -The Daily Mail-Beijing Review News Exchange Item
