Unwavering warrior

Short-track ace Wu Dajing taking rough with the smooth amid his roller-coaster ride at Beijing 2022

It takes less than a minute to become an Olympic champion in short-track speed skating, a dash to glory that belies the decades of dedication and hard work needed to simply get the start line.

Wu Dajing knows that journey all too well.

On Sunday at Beijing 2022, the defending 500m champion relinquished his crown after failing to qualify for the final A, with Liu Shaoang of Hungary going on to take the gold in 40.338 seconds.

As something of a consolation, Wu dominated to win the final B.

Pressing his lips and wearing a helmet emblazoned with a design of mythical Chinese character the Monkey King, Wu waved to the crowd before leaving the rink at the Capital Indoor Stadium.

Fans were left wondering if it was a goodbye wave in what might have been the 27-year-old's last individual Olympic race.

Wu became the first male Chinese skater to win an Olympic short-track title when he sped to gold in the 500m at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. He is the current world-record holder over the distance in 39.505.

"It's a great pity. I have prepared for this for so many years. Everyone in the semifinals has a chance to finish on the podium. But no matter if the result is good or bad, I can accept it," Wu said in the mixed zone, cutting a more composed figure than during his emotional post-race interview around a week ago.

Choked by "hundreds of feelings", China's short-track captain was almost lost for words after helping his country win gold in the 2,000m mixed team relay on Feb 5.

But he missed out on the podium when finishing fourth in the men's 1,000m on Feb 7, which piled extra pressure on Sunday's race.

Wu, though, was endeavoring to keep things in perspective.

"I'm treating every race like my last one, because I don't know if I'll be able to compete at the next Olympics, or any international competition in the future," he said.

Hard slog

Injuries have haunted Wu all along the way from Pyeongchang to Beijing.

A recurring back problem significantly disrupted his training after he fell at a World Cup meet in Shanghai in 2019.

Pressure was mounting after failing to secure any medals in the first three stops of the 2021-22 World Cup series.

He finally secured his spot at Beijing 2022 with a 500m victory at the last World Cup stop of the season in Dordrecht in November.

"Even last year, my goal was to stand in the rink at the Beijing Olympic Games as I wasn't sure if I was able to withstand tough training. I only set my goals higher when my condition recovered step by step," said Wu.

"So at least I achieved the first goal of being able to stand here, because it's my third Olympics and it's equally important for me to enjoy the competition and to get good results."

Chinese skating fans have showed plenty of support for Wu.

"Dajing, you are excellent! We can all see your dedication and effort. Stay in good form and continue your short-track speed skating journey!" one of Wu's 9.9 million Weibo followers wrote.

Wu also seems to be more philosophical these days when races don't go to plan.

"Four years ago, I was probably more eager to compete at the Games than to actually enjoy them, and I was anxious and impatient sometimes," Wu reflected on Sunday.

"Maybe now I'm more mature with a completely different mentality on training, goals, and the good or the bad."

'Ugly feet'

Last week a video clip of Wu went viral. Uncovering his swollen ankles and deformed, calloused feet, he said in a matter-of-fact tone: "My feet are ugly... a result of years of training."

Inspired by Chinese world champion short-track skaters such as Yang Yang, who won China's first Winter Olympic gold at Salt Lake City 20 years ago, Wu started his career at 10 years old in his hometown of Jiamusi, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

"I watched a short-track skating race on TV and told my parents I wanted to learn it, because it was so cool," he recalled.

In Jiamusi, a city with a population of 2.3 million, temperatures can drop to minus-30 Celsius in winter－an ideal environment for ice and snow sports enthusiasts but challenging for daily living.

Back then, there were no indoor skating facilities in the city, so Wu trained on an outdoor rink. Wu's mother, Lyu Yuxiang, rode a bicycle to carry her son and a pair of ill-fitting skates to the rink. The young Wu usually set off at 4 am in the dim light of dawn, because after sunrise the ice would become softer, making it harder to skate fast. In addition, Wu needed to go to school later in the morning.

"He fell down over a hundred times in his first training session. I will never forget that," Lyu recalled.

The unflappable Wu was selected by provincial teams before making it onto the national team in 2010.

However, he failed to make the grade initially and was assigned to be a training partner for the national women's team.

"It was a huge blow," said Wu, adding that he never forgets the feeling of standing by a bus and seeing off his senior teammates for an international competition.

It was then that he decided he needed to make some drastic changes.

"I had goals, dreams and beliefs, so I fought tooth and nail," he said.

"I paid attention to every move and every detail, watching training videos and making myself exhausted in every training session."

"I dared not to relax at all. It wasn't exactly fun."

But his hard work paid off, and now he can proudly show off an Olympic medal collection comprising two gold, two silver and a bronze.

"I think success is not all about luck or talent. It's always a result of hard work," said Wu.

Despite Sunday's setback, Wu is now looking forward to Wednesday's men's 5,000m relay team event with renewed determination.

"Winning honor for my motherland is my biggest dream at Beijing 2022," he said. "We will go all out for the relay."

Xinhua