QIQIHAR, Northeast China -- Excited with new faces' performance at the National Winter Games, Chinese sports officials felt difficult to win more than two gold medals in the upcoming Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010.
|
|
|
| Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao perform to win the pairs free skating at China's 11th Winter Games in Qiqihaer, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 20, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Wu Jialiang performs to clinch the title in free skating men's singles at the 11th National Winter Games in Qiqihaer, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 20, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Xia Lina competes to win the women's super-giant slalom title at the Chinese 11th National Winter Games in Qiqihaer, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 20, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Xiao Tian, deputy director of Chinese General Administration of Sport, said China was still a winter sports fledgling though Chinese showed their power in the summer Games.
"After the Turin Olympics, Chinese winter sports didn't develop fast. We still count on several veterans to win gold medals in Vancouver, but if they can't perform well, we may even win nothing there," Xiao told Xinhua.
"If everything goes smoothly, maybe we can win one or two golds, " he added.
Xiao noted the 11th National Winter Games aimed at finding the talents with potentials for the 2014 Games.
"Young athletes showed the future of China winter sports. Their basic skills are better than veterans. If they get more experience in the international competitions, they will become more brilliant."
"But they still need time to grow and I don't think they will emerge in the Vancouver Games," he added.
China did not end its winter Olympic gold draught until the Salt Lake City Games in 2002 when Yang Yang (A) took two short track speed skating titles.
China fielded a largest-ever team to compete in the Turin Games, including 76 athletes to enter nine of the 17 sports, and won two gold medals, one in the women's short track speeding skating and another in the men's freestyle aerials.
Xiao kept a low tone in China's gold medal target in the Vancouver Games and emphasized China pinned its medal hopes in numerable events including short-track speed skating, speed skating, figure skating and freestyle aerials.
"In short-track speed skating, we have advantage in women's short-distance event like the women's 500m and Wang Meng is the gold medal hopeful," said Xiao.
Wang won China's first gold medal in Turin, claiming the women's 500m victory. She still keeps the momentum as she has won all gold medals in this event in the finished World Cup this season.
"China is strong in the figure skating and the speed skating, but skaters also meet great challenge from Europe. These gold medals are not in our pocket."
Han Xiaopeng claimed China's first ever Olympic skiing gold medal in the men's freestyle aerials final of the Turin Games, and Xiao thought Han's victory was a surprising gift to the Chinese delegation.
"This gold medal is unpredictable, and we need some luck to win in Vancouver," Xiao said.
