In December 2022, Wang Bingyu, the former captain of the Chinese women's curling team, received ** from her old teammate Zhou Yan. The latter is coaching the Sichuan team, and she asked Wang Bingyu if she would like to form a team to participate in the four-person event of the National Winter Games. "Yes, no problem. Thinking of being able to fight side by side with her sisters again, Wang Bingyu readily agreed.
In January last year, she began applying for registration. More than a year later, 40-year-old Wang Bingyu, 41-year-old Zhou Yan, and 39-year-old Yue Qingshuang stood on the stage of the 14th winter. "It's dreamy, it's magical, I didn't think about it before. Returning to the game, Wang Bingyu was full of emotion, "I feel very satisfied that there is such an opportunity." ”
Wang Bingyu (left) and Zhou Yan made a comeback after five years.
15 years ago, Wang Bingyu, Zhou Yan, Yue Qingshuang, and Liu Yin won the gold medal of the World Championships for the first time in Chinese curling, which became a good story for a while. At the Winter Olympics the following year, four people won a historic bronze medal.
After finishing seventh at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the "Four Golden Flowers" retired one after another and successively had a new identity. Wang Bingyu used to be the competition director of curling in the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and is currently a teacher at Beijing Sport University. Zhou Yan helped the Sichuan team build a team and cultivate talents, and was also a member of the national team's coaching staff; Yue Qingshuang took up the coaching whip of the Paralympic national team and has led the team to win two gold medals in wheelchair curling at the Winter Paralympics.
Since all three of them have jobs, it is difficult to train systematically like other teams, so they can only practice alone and then make time to practice together. Since Yue Qingshuang also had to lead the team to prepare for the Winter Olympics for the hearing impaired that started in Turkey in March, everyone set the training location at the ice training hall of the National Sports Management Center for the Disabled. Not only did he have to lead the team to prepare for the battle, but he also had to train, Yue Qingshuang was on the ice almost all day and night.
In May last year, Zhou Yan and Yue Qingshuang had already represented the Sichuan team in the national championship last season. In December, Wang Bingyu appeared again after five years. The three represented the Sichuan team in two league stops and won a bronze medal.
Really enjoy the game.
Two months later, the trio made it to the fourteenth winter. This is Wang Bingyu's fifth time participating in the National Winter Games, "I am very excited, and I am very happy to be able to play with my teammates." ”
On the 22nd, the Sichuan team played a one-day double match and lost to the powerhouse Jilin team and the Beijing team by two points. Wang Bingyu bluntly said that it takes a process to enter the state, first feel the light, temperature, and glide degree of the venue as much as possible, and hope that the next game will be better and better. "On the whole, it's normal, with our current level, we have done everything we can think of, and we have put a certain amount of pressure on the opponent. Wang Bingyu said.
Although the cumulative time of joint training is not much, the three of them are still as familiar and tacit as before. When Bing Yu shouted, and when he cooperated with the ice sweeping, he would remember some pictures from the past. Zhou Yan, the eldest of the three, said, "I am very happy and excited to be able to play together." ”
Returning to the arena, Wang Bingyu also said that he began to really "enjoy the process". She admits that in the past, she was more interested in the result and more looking forward to winning, "but now she cherishes the opportunity to return to the field and fight side by side with old friends." ”
Inherit the spirit of the women's pot.
Why make a comeback? In addition to "nostalgia", Zhou Yan said that it is more for inheritance, "let the young players see our persistence, love, and dedication, and pass these on to them." ”
Wang Bingyu also said that as the "first" national player, he always feels that he has more responsibilities and missions, "I hope that young players can still stand on the field at the age of 40." As long as you like it, love it enough. ”
Win or lose, the "Three Golden Flowers" are a highly respected big sister on the field. Han Siyu, the captain of the Jilin team, said with a smile that he was a little nervous about playing with his sisters, and the pressure was quite high, "Their tactical layout is better than ours, and they adapt to the venue faster than us." Jiang Simiao, a teammate of the three, said that he was very grateful to the fourteenth winter for giving him the opportunity to cooperate with his predecessors.
For Wang Bingyu, most of the teams and players are a little unfamiliar, "I am very happy to be able to compete with so many young athletes, including many teams from the west and south. It is very gratifying to see so many young teams and players and to see that Chinese curling is developing so well. She said that she hopes that she can use her experience to help more athletes grow and help Chinese curling regain its glory.