Can China become a Winter Olympic powerhouse?
- By Mark Dreyer
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 7, 2014
China has long been known as a Summer Olympic powerhouse, with an almost impenetrable grip on sports such as diving and table tennis, but in recent years, it has been at the Winter Olympic Games where China has made the most improvements.
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In recent years, it has been at the Winter Olympics, instead of the summer edition, where China has made the most improvements. [Xinhua] |
Given that China has never finished outside the top three in the medal table during each of the last four Summer Games -- and outright won it at home in Beijing in 2008 -- a 16th place finish in the medal table in Nagano in 1998 might seem disastrous in comparison. Yet after 13th and 14th place finishes in Salt Lake City and Turin respectively, China leapt up to the seventh spot in Vancouver four years ago and, in the process, became a genuine force to be reckoned with at the Winter Olympics.
Short track speed skater Wang Meng spearheaded that effort in 2010, winning two individual gold medals and adding another one in the relay. Already China's most decorated Winter Olympian, it was hoped Wang would again lead the charge in Sochi and she was considered almost a certainty in her favored 500m event. But a double ankle fracture in training just weeks ago crushed that dream, leaving China to find a new hero or heroine.
Wang has a ready-made replacement in Fan Kexin, who now has an excellent chance of winning the 500m sprint. Nevertheless, before Chinese fans start celebrating too early, Fan will know that all of her main rivals have also been boosted, thinking that they too can win gold -- with Wang now out of the race.
With multiple speed skating medals up for grabs, China will see other chances, with the 3000m relay short track team hoping to successfully defend their Olympic title, while Wang Beixing, a long track speed skater who specializes in the shorter distances, will look to add to the 500m bronze medal she won in Vancouver. China's male skaters are less strong, but Liang Wenhao in the 500m short track has genuine medal aspirations.
The more graceful form of skating has also proved fruitful for China in the past. Last year Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo -- a couple both on and off the ice -- broke decades of Russian and Soviet dominance to win the gold in the pairs' figure skating event. They have since moved on to the more lucrative performance circuit, leaving Pang Qing and Tong Jian aiming to go one better than the silver they won in Vancouver.
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