Hohhot, Xinhua News Agency, February 20 (Reporter Liu Yichun, Dai Jinrong) "Seven consecutive wins in the round-robin", "three leads in the final", and "1 point in the extra game are lost" ......When these words are put together, it's hard to say that there are no regrets.
On February 20, Fujian team combination Wang Zhiyu (right) and Zhu Ze Yangxu in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Fan In the mixed doubles final of the open curling group of the 14th National Winter Games on the 20th, Fujian team players Wang Zhiyu and Zhu Ze Yangxu missed the opportunity in the extra game and lost 6:7 to the experienced predecessor Heilongjiang team Ba Dexin Jiang Yilun and won the silver medal.
Everyone has a 'championship dream', but regrets are common, and we must move forward with higher goals. Putting aside his regrets, Wang Zhiyu set his goal on the men's curling round-robin tournament and the Milan Winter Olympics, and hoped to use this silver medal to help ice and snow sports continue to "break the circle" in the southern provinces.
Wang Zhiyu, who was born in Heilongjiang in 1996, is the "stable person" in the mouth of Fujian team coach Li Hongbo, and the "backbone" on the field in the eyes of his partner Zhu Ze Yangxu. He describes himself as "sometimes extroverted, sometimes introverted", and this personality is matched by the sport of curling, which is both dynamic and static.
On February 12, 2022, Wang Zhiyu throws a pot in the men's curling round-robin match between China and Italy at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Lei "The first time I played curling, I felt fun. "It took him only three years from the time he was introduced to curling at the age of 14 to the time he entered the national team in 2013. Talent gradually realized on the field: when he was under the age of 20, he won the third place in the "Thirteenth Winter" men's curling, helped the Chinese team qualify for international competitions many times, and won the runner-up in the 2018-2019 World Cup finals in 2019.
Ice fans are really familiar with Wang Zhiyu because of one of his stats at the Beijing Winter Olympics: 87An 8% success rate, the best of all second basemen. He and Ma Xiuyue, Zou Qiang, Jiang Dongxu, and Xu Jingtao's Chinese team ranked fifth with a record of 4 wins and 5 losses. Although they are not perfect in terms of detail control and lack the ability to control key games, as a young and low-ranked team in the Beijing Winter Olympics, they have faced many old powerhouses such as Sweden, Britain and Canada one after another, and their performance is remarkable.
It's a shame to have a bad experience at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and if you win one more game, the result may not be the same. Wang Zhiyu said.
China's Wang Zhiyu (first from right), Xu Jingtao (center) and Ma Xiuyue greet the audience after the match on February 15, 2022. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Huanzong Just when everyone was expecting him and his teammates to continue to break through in the international curling arena, Wang Zhiyu suffered the first major blow in his career.
Fighting with an injury at the Winter Olympics, he later received 16 stitches on his arm. The injury brought by Wang Zhiyu's words once became his "inner demon". "Injuries have led to a lack of 'rubbing ice' and being very conservative. And the "ice rubbing", which is related to the speed and direction of curling, is considered to be very important in the game. After a year of recuperation and returning to the game, Wang Zhiyu finished second to last in a provincial games.
Whether he can get back to his original self was the biggest question mark in Wang Zhiyu's heart.
On February 20, Fujian team combination Wang Zhiyu (right) and Zhu Ze Yangxu in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Xinbo "When you accumulate too many regrets, luck will come to you. Day after day of training, he gradually regained his form and regained his strength: "My biggest dream is the Milan Winter Olympics, keep going, and sooner or later I will see the light of day." ”
His added takeaway from the "14th Winter" is that he may be able to help the sport of curling "break the circle" in the southern provinces. The Fujian curling team, which is jointly cultivated with the Heilongjiang team, is Fujian's first provincial team in ice and snow sports, and only made its debut in the domestic arena last year. Coach Li Hongbo said: "I hope to use this silver medal to call the 'Fujian team' and give the southern provinces a 'booster' for the development of curling." ”
Along with regrets, there are also the pains and joys of the past. "Whether it's achievements or setbacks, don't take yourself too seriously, and don't take yourself seriously. Wang Zhiyu packed his bags and prepared for the men's curling round-robin tournament that will start the next day.