Athletes shine in era of excellence

Winning a precious gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was a dream come true for Chinese aerials ace Xu Mengtao, and speaking of the reasons behind it, the veteran credits not only her decades of hard work, but more importantly the era when Chinese winter sports is enjoying fantastic development.

"We are latecomers to winter sports in the world, but we have had fast growth in this great era. We managed to host the Winter Olympics at home, and we always kept our Olympic dreams alive," said Xu in China Daily's documentary Era of Excellence.

Eight months after topping the podium at the Beijing Winter Games, Xu showed up in front of China Daily's camera not only as a star athlete, but also a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"I'm so proud to be able to win an Olympic gold medal at home. And that victory does not only belong to me. It belongs to my team, Chinese winter sports and the nation. The great era of our nation gives me a great environment of growth and gives me confidence," the 32-year-old added.

"We had a great system for training ahead of the Beijing Winter Games despite the challenge of the pandemic. As an athlete, I'm so lucky to live in such an age. The great environment enabled us to train competitively and remain at a high level on the world stage.

"I'm very lucky and I'm grateful for the age that I'm living in. This great age enables the young generation to achieve their dream, and to build together a better future for Chinese sports."

Xu became a household name at Beijing 2022 in February by winning gold in the freestyle skiing women's aerials. The gold was a long-awaited dream for the veteran who has competed in four Winter Olympics since Vancouver 2010.

Finishing sixth in her Olympic debut at Vancouver 2010, Xu managed to pocket a silver four years later at Sochi 2014. Xu was determined that an Olympic gold was just a step away at the next Games, but a ninth place finish at Pyeongchang 2018 was a huge blow to her career. However, giving up was never an option for Xu.

"We finally had the precious opportunity to attend a Winter Olympics at home, and it's a great honor and responsibility for a national team athlete. I told myself I surely can do it. No matter how hard it could be, I must achieve it," said Xu.

The dedication and perseverance of Xu earned her not only the gold medal but also the respect of her rivals. A touching moment at the Beijing Games' final was when United States aerials freestyle skier Ashley Caldwell congratulated Xu's victory with a huge hug.

"My best memory of Tao Tao at the Olympics was that when she won, we shared a hug and I was truly so excited for her," Caldwell told China Daily via email.

"Tao Tao and I have more in common than I have with any other person in the whole world. We have pushed ourselves in a very scary sport, overcome tremendous injuries and traveled the world together. I respect her so much and she truly deserves the success she has had."

Behind Xu's personal success was China's fast growing winter sports sector. Team China made history at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics by bagging its best ever haul of 15 medals, including nine gold, to finish third in the medal standings, the highest since the country's Winter Games debut in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.

According to the General Administration of Sport of China, the country has witnessed rapid improvements in winter sports infrastructure, equipment manufacturing and educational programs over the past seven years of preparations for the Winter Games.

A total of 654 standard ice rinks and 803 ski resorts were operating in China by the beginning of 2021, rising by 317 percent and 41 percent respectively since 2015, when Beijing and Zhangjiakou won the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn