Speed skater takes gold

Li Jianrou celebrates with China's national flag after winning the women's 500m short track speedskating final event at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games on Thursday. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

For Zhang Hong, the decision to turn to speed skating rather than sticking to short track speed skating should be the most valuable one she has made in her life.

Turning to speed skating for six years ago, 25-year-old Zhang topped the world at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games on Thursday, winning the women's 1,000-meter event.

It is the second gold medal for China at the Sochi Games, but for Chinese speed skating, it comes after a wait of more than two decades.

"China has waited for this gold medal for 22 years and I got it today, which made it hard for me to believe," Zhang said after the race.

Zhang clocked a time of 1 minute, 14.02 seconds for the gold, 0.67 second ahead of second-place Ireen Wust of the Netherlands. Another Dutch woman Margot Boer got the bronze in 1:14.90.

Short track speed skater Li Jianrou won the first gold for China earlier in women's 500-meter race.

China used to be a strong force of speed skating.

At the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympic Games in France, Ye Qiaobo gave China its first Winter Olympic medal by earning the silver in the women's 500-meter event. Ye also won the second silver four days later in the 1,000 meters.

Since then, China has never given up its chase for gold at the Winter Olympics but had to wait 12 years for another silver in the 500 meters from Wang Manli at the 2006 Turin Games.

Four years later in Vancouver, Wang Beixing claimed a bronze.

Breaking the Winter Olympic gold medal jinx has always been a goal for the Chinese skaters, but a shadow was cast over the team's prospects this year as its reigning 500-meter world champion, Yu Jing, was forced to withdraw from the Sochi Games at the last minute due to the recurrence of an old injury.

At the 500-meter event on Tuesday, Zhang narrowly missed the podium by finishing fourth, while Wang Beixing, China's biggest hope for the event, finished seventh.

The gold came two days later.

Zhang Hong still cannot believe that she was the one to make the breakthrough for Chinese speed skating.

"I'm very excited now and I haven't accepted the fact that I won the gold," Zhang said. "I was working hard everyday in the past and I achieved it today. I beat myself."

Zhang started skating at the age of seven in her hometown of Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province, because her parents wanted their daughter to be strong and healthy. They chose short track for her because the training was indoors, which was good in the freezing winters.

Zhang made the local team in Harbin when she was 12 and spent seven years there. She competed in short track speed skating events at the National Winter Games in 2003 and 2007, representing Harbin.

In 2008, Zhang changed to speed skating, which requires stronger skating skills and faster speeds.

"It was six years ago and I had to start from the very beginning," Zhang recalled. "It was difficult at first."

It took Zhang almost two years to find the right pace on the new track.

At the 2011 World Single Distances Championships, Zhang finished fifth in the 500 meters and the seventh in the 1,000 meters, the first big improvement for her.

"I was very satisfied at that time," Zhang said. "I'd never been on the national team before and had no international competition experience. With speed skating, I could take part in the world championships and finished well. It encouraged me a lot. I knew my decision was the right one."

"Zhang did an excellent job this time," said Zhang's coach Feng Qingbo, who worked with her from the beginning six years ago. "Our goal was to finish in the top three but now we have realized the breakthrough of several generation of Chinese speed skaters. It's a great honor for us.

"She has never got under 1 minute and 15 seconds, even in training, but today she got 1:14 seconds. That is because she has always had a very good attitude in training.

"It's only a start for her. She still has long way to go."

Zhang's performance earned respect from the rivals.

"It is not a big surprise," said silver medalist Wust. "We already knew for a long time that she is the lady with the fastest lap in the field."

Teammate Wang Beixing is happy for her as well.

"It is a great honor for the Chinese speed skating team," said Wang. "Congratulations to Zhang and the whole team. It's a historical achievement. No matter who did it, we are all very happy. I'm very excited for her."

Speed skating legend Ye also applauded Zhang.

"It was a long wait for us," said Ye. "Zhang's strategy is correct and she controlled herself well in the latter part, which was really fast. She is a very smart athlete."

leilei@chinadaily.com.cn