Young skaters carry new hopes
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-16 07:46

"My tears should be for my mixed feelings now - the deep regret of not winning the gold and the happiness of winning a silver for my country," said Wang after the competition.

"Everybody may feel the pressure during the Games, but I did not transfer the heavy pressure into the motive force. It is my own mental burden that caused my loss."

After Ye, Wang is the most successful speed skater in China.

Winning the 500m gold medals at the 2004 and 2005 World Championships and claiming victory in almost all the stages at the World Cup series in the past three seasons, Wang was the biggest favourite for the gold in Turin.

But losing the gold to Zhurova in the 2006 Worlds just before the Olympic Games was a shadow in her Olympic dream, and she failed to properly adjust to the psychological situation.

During the two races at the Turin Games, she ranked behind Zhurova.

"I know my rival very well, and if I performed in my normal situation, it will be a close match. But this time, I lost in the mental side at the beginning," Wang, the oldest athlete among the Chinese delegation, choked afterwards.

Experiencing a slump from 1997 to 2000, Wang briefly contemplated retirement, but her strong will drove her back into the sport with a renewed commitment to strive for an Olympic medal.

After finishing only 13th in the 500m at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, she was hoping for an Olympic gold medal in Turin to end her 23 years' skating career.

Since she came close with a silver, her future career is still in doubt.

"I'm in such an excited and grieved mood that I even thought nothing about whether to retire or not," Wang added.