"We are both university teachers now, and we both have our own jobs, so we can only find time to train. Talking about the difficulty of preparing for the war, Ba Dexin and Jiang Yilun were full of emotion. In the 14th Winter Curling Mixed Doubles Gold Medal Match on February 20, the two veterans represented Heilongjiang and defeated Fujian players Wang Zhiyu and Zhu Ze Yangxu in the extra game to win the championship.
Although they have taught at universities in Harbin, Ba Dexin and Jiang Yilun have both been famous names in Chinese curling. The 33-year-old finished fourth in men's four-man curling at the Winter Olympics 10 years ago and fifth in mixed doubles at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 30-year-old Jiang Yilun has also represented the Chinese four-person women's pot in the world championships many times, and was also the mixed doubles champion of the last National Winter Games.
In preparation for the 14th winter, the two trained for a year and won a runner-up in the Chinese Curling League this season. When they came to Hulunbuir, the two drove low and walked high, losing two games in the round-robin match, and then playing a triumphant song all the way. In the semifinals, the two stole points in a row in key games and defeated Han Peng and Han Siyu, who topped the league points. The final battle was extremely fierce, the young Wang Zhiyu and Zhu Ze Yangxu had a very high success rate, and Ba Dexin and Jiang Yilun were passive most of the time. But the two clung to the score, dragged the opponent into the extra game, and finally stole 1 point and narrowly won the championship.
Compared to us, the opponent is more stable in technique and has an advantage in physical fitness. So our strategy is to be calm, to be steady. Ba Dexin said that the two were ready to play the extra game or even the last ball before the game, "The pressure of the final must be very high, and we have been adjusting." After all, we have more experience in the competition, and we must drag the game until the last minute, and whoever is nervous will make mistakes. ”
The two veterans are very happy with this result. Ba Dexin, who had not played for three or four years before his comeback, even said that he didn't expect to enter the finals at all, "I enjoy the process very much, and as for the result, it is to fight and accept any results." After 14 winters, the two will go back to school separately, "and at the same time, I hope to have the opportunity to participate in more competitions while completing their work." ”