This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Speed Skating World Cup series. The Beijing stadium, nicknamed the \\"Ice Ribbon\\", hosts the second of this season's six events, welcoming more than 260 top athletes from 24 nations and regions to the Chinese capital.
The National Speed Skating Oval, a landmark venue built for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is once again the showcase site. With elite speed skaters returning this weekend, anticipation is high for races on a surface hailed as \\"the fastest in the world.\\"
\\"Since the Beijing Winter Olympics, speed skating has gained more attention, and this atmosphere has surpassed even last year's event, with the stands nearly filled to capacity. I'm truly delighted to see the fans cheering for athletes from all over the world,\\" said Han Mei, who placed sixth in the women's 1,500m event.
On the highly anticipated first day, China's leading speed skaters, including Ning Zhongyan, Gao Tingyu, and Han Mei, made impressive appearances. Ning finished second in Group A of the men's 1500 meters, clocking in at 1 minute, 44.26 seconds, earning his second medal of the World Cup series this season.
\\"This time, my performance was even faster than last week in Nagano. I thought my result from the last event was already quite good, but this outcome completely exceeded my expectations. The surface at the Ice Ribbon is excellent, and the cheers from the audience as I stepped onto the ice motivated me. Everything was just perfect,\\" said Ning.
While Japanese skaters excelled in the women's 500 and 1500 meters, it was the USA's Jordan Stolz who stole the spotlight on opening day. The 20-year-old broke Gao Tingyu's stadium record by crossing the finish line first in the men's 500 meters with a time of 34.27 seconds, and then edged out Ning by 0.32 seconds to win the men's 1500m.
The successful hosting of the 2022 Winter Olympics laid a solid foundation for the continued development of cold-weather sports in China. This year's ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Beijing further showcases the country's passion and aspirations for snow and ice competitions, while also setting high expectations for the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
