Text/Guangzhou Daily All-Media Reporter Bai Zhibiao Photo/Respondent provided
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. Zhu Dingwen, who was born in 1999, has witnessed the tremendous changes in Hong Kong since its return to the motherland. As a sports person, he has personally participated in the development of Hong Kong sports, especially ice and snow sports, and has witnessed the extensive exchanges between Hong Kong sports and ice and snow sports with the mainland. His frequent training in Changchun has made him speak with a Northeastern accent, which has made him famous on the Internet. Through hard work, three Hong Kong athletes, including Zhu Dingwen, won the opportunity to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. He also became the first Hong Kong Chinese to stand on the short track speed skating field of the Winter Olympics.
Message
I said during the Winter Olympics that I most want to bring the Olympic spirit back to Hong Kong and the South, so that more people in the Greater Bay Area can participate in ice and snow sports. In the future, I want to promote short track speed skating. Short track speed skating has changed my life. I hope it can also change the lives of more young people. I hope the spirit of transcending oneself can encourage more people.
A very "Northeastern" Hong Kong skater
I first started practicing ice hockey. Because I was small and skinny, I always got injured in the confrontations. When I was 13 years old, I started learning short track speed skating and fell in love with it immediately. I loved the feeling of flying on the ice. When I was 15 years old, I joined the Hong Kong team and became a full-time athlete. It can be said that since I first came into contact with short track speed skating, I have been working hard to realize my Olympic dream. During training, I always skate half a lap more than my teammates, and everyone skates 7 laps. Then I will skate 7 and a half laps.
As we all know, ice and snow sports are not popular in the south. There is no standard short track speed skating venue in Hong Kong. At first we went to commercial ice rinks to train. Later, in order to train more professionally, we often went to Dongguan , Changchun and Beijing to train. , spent a longer time in Changchun, training and communicating with Jilin athletes for 3-4 years.
Many people don’t believe that I am a native of Hong Kong when I speak. During this Beijing Winter Olympics, many people were surprised that I, a Hong Kong athlete, spoke Northeast dialect . In fact, after training in the north these years, it can be said that Northeastern dialect has become the "official language" of our team. Now I really like Northeastern food, and my favorite is Northeastern Malatang and Spicy Hotpot.
Short track speed skating opens a new world
The country's "Northern Ice and South Exhibition" policy is a particularly good opportunity for the development of ice and snow sports in our south. We can have more exchanges with the mainland, which will be of great help to our Hong Kong sports. Take us for example, we have received help and support from the national team and the provincial team (Jilin Provincial Team) during the training process. This kind of help makes us feel very happy.
After the Beijing Winter Olympics, we will continue to work hard to promote the development of ice and snow sports in the Greater Bay Area. We sincerely hope that through our years of dedication, we can strive for better training conditions for the next generation of short track speed skaters. Because I have gained many different things from short track speed skating, I hope that many young people in the South can experience the excitement of this sport, surpass themselves and their opponents on and off the ice, and experience a completely different world.
Only if you dare to challenge can you have the opportunity
to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics. It is not easy for the Hong Kong, China team. Everyone has paid a lot to qualify for the Winter Olympics. It doesn’t matter if there are no ice and snow resources or no conditions. As long as we have a fighting spirit and dare to challenge, we can win the opportunity to participate in the Winter Olympics.
Teacher Sun (Dandan) (silver medalist in short track speed skating relay at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics) said that if you have the courage to stand on the Olympic field and challenge all the world masters, you have actually won. You must have the courage to challenge. When I was preparing for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2017, I injured my ankle. The doctor said that it would take at least 4 months to walk normally. Teacher Sun’s injury was the same as mine before the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, but She worked hard to win a silver medal at the Winter Olympics. Her experience encouraged me. I kept going to physical therapy and always had the hope of participating in the Olympic Games. In less than two months, I was able to compete in the Winter Olympics qualifying competition, although I failed to win the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. I won’t be able to compete, but this process and experience made me an excellent athlete.
Although I have regrets, experiencing this challenge is a very important recognition for my sports career.I have always had a dream to popularize short track speed skating in Hong Kong. For me, Hong Kong people’s participation in winter sports events is a way to represent the challenging spirit of Hong Kong people. The Olympic spirit itself is the spirit of challenge and hard work. spirit, and hope that through myself, this spirit can be carried forward in the future.
Hong Kong can promote more ice and snow sports
Guangzhou Daily: It has been a few months since the Beijing Winter Olympics ended. What are you doing during this time?
Zhu Dingwen: After the Winter Olympics, I have been busy promoting ice and snow sports and establishing the Hong Kong Speed Skating Academy. As the first executive director of the Hong Kong Speed Skating Academy, in addition to being responsible for the academy’s business, I am also responsible for legal, website development, administration, outreach and coach management. This is also the first time I have such a large leadership task.
During the Beijing Winter Olympics, I said many times that I hope that through the atmosphere of the Winter Olympics, Hong Kong can promote ice and snow sports, such as setting up interest classes to allow citizens to better participate in ice and snow sports. I have always had a small dream, that is to popularize short track speed skating in Hong Kong. I also know that there are many challenges. After all, Hong Kong is a city with no ice and snow and no Olympic-standard ice rink.
Guangzhou Daily: Looking back on the Beijing Winter Olympics, if you were to do it over again, what would you most like to change on the field?
Zhu Dingwen: I will make myself bolder and more confident. It's a pity that I couldn't completely slip out of my normal training level during the Beijing Winter Olympics. It was my first time to stand in the Winter Olympics. I was a little nervous. If someone else jumped the ball, I thought it was me, and my legs were shaking. I trained well during that period, but I started too fast. I was a little confused when entering the corner at the same time as my opponent, because I used to be behind others. As a result, I got into trouble with the Dutch team members. I didn't dare to accelerate and fell behind. My performance was poor. So good, if I could do it again, I would be bolder and compete with others.
Character profile
Athletes of the Hong Kong delegation at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Secondary in the 1,000 meters at the 2019 Asian Short Track Speed Skating Championships
Won the Hong Kong Short Track Speed Skating Championship for five consecutive years
The first executive director of the Hong Kong Speed Skating Academy
Planning : Zhao Dongfang Yu Jing Executive: Tang Xinxin He Chao
Coordinator: Huang Wanhua Zhang Hong Wen Junhua
