Needed feelings: Russian-Chinese Games were a shake-up for our athletes
Our athletes continue their successful performance at the Russian-Chinese Youth Winter Games held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. After three days of the Games, the Russian team has won 69 awards (23 gold, 25 silver and 21 bronze). Chinese athletes have 21 medals (7 gold, 5 silver, 9 bronze). Our figure skaters, who won four golds out of four possible, and skiers performed especially brightly. In addition, the start in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk became one of the few international competitions available to the national junior team.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants and guests of the IV Russian-Chinese Youth Winter Games. "Our countries pay serious attention to the development of physical culture and sports, promotion of the values of a healthy and active lifestyle, strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between representatives of the younger generation," the Russian head of state said in his message. - One of the most large-scale and successful projects in the sphere of humanitarian cooperation is rightly considered to be the Russian-Chinese Youth Games in summer and winter sports. I am sincerely glad that their holding has become a good, time-tested tradition".
High marks
The figure skating competitions were held in the Kristall ice palace with a capacity of about 2,000 spectators, and the entrance was free. On the one-sided stand on a weekday there were practically no free seats for all kinds of competitions. And on the day of the free skating program the spectators had to wait outside and hope that the seats on the stands would be free.
The public, which is not spoiled by figure skating and major sporting events in general, welcomed the skaters with delight. Even after an unsuccessful skate and a "butterfly" on a single axel from Chinese athlete Wenbao Han, the hall exploded with applause and applause. After his performance, Wenbao needed medical attention to stop a nosebleed, and on the second day of the competition he did not take to the ice at all. Despite his poor performance and health problems, the Chinese bronze medalist spoke warmly of the tournament.
- It's a wonderful place, beautiful, and there is a lot of snow here," Wenbao Han noted to Izvestia. - The competitions are organized at a very high level, everything is done competently. And the warm attitude to us is pleasant.
Sports pairs competitions turned out to be really tense. The Russian panel of judges did not change its traditions and evaluated the skaters not as strictly as at the ISU tournaments. Zhang Xuanqi/Feng Wenqiang in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk scored 173.48 points, which is almost 30 points more than they received at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in the Czech Republic. However, the duo had a fall on the ejection. At the Russian-Chinese Games the pair Zhang/Feng became second, beating the third pair of our national team Veronika Merenkova/Danil Galimov. Another Chinese duo Rui Guo / Yiwen Zhang did not show a high result, but performed an ultra-si element - a quadruple backspin.
Although the Russians' leadership in figure skating is obvious (Elizaveta Maleina / Matvey Samokhin were the first in ice dancing, Vadim Voronov was the best among men, Taisiya Scherbinina / Artem Petrov won gold in pairs skating, and Sofia Dzepka won gold in women's singles), such competition is a good test of our juniors' nervous system and ability to adjust to an unfamiliar time zone. In any case, the winners of the competition have an additional line in their resume, which in the future may become a determining factor in the development of their careers. Well, and the experience gained will definitely be useful when they fully enter the international arena. It remains to wait for it in the foreseeable future.
A necessary shake-up
The high interest of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk residents has spread to other sports as well. Especially those where our athletes dominated: cross-country skiing and Nordic combined. For example, Nikita Lysenin, Dmitry Osipov and Lev Kostyanets were the best among young men in the Nordic Combined. The best result for Chinese athletes was the fifth place, which was taken by Song Rongjun. In women's competitions Anna Vasilkova, Ulyana Mekhonoshina and Ekaterina Monastyrshina were on the podium, Chinese Zhao Meiqi took the fifth place.
- We haven't participated in international competitions for two years already," said Yuri Kononykhin, coach of the Russian junior Nordic combined team, in a conversation with TASS. - At the end of January - beginning of February the Junior World Championships will be held, where practically the same squad would have gone. Therefore, the Games on Sakhalin were a good shake-up in this situation, especially given the eight-hour time difference. The athletes had to adapt, to be able to adjust, and this is also important. Such shakes for the athlete's organism are very necessary.
On the penultimate day of the Games, January 12, Bogdan Plotnikov and Anfisa Shamshur won gold in alpine skiing, Egor Koroteev and Elizaveta Boldyreva won silver, and Fedor Lebedev and Veronika Akhtanina won bronze.
Snowboarding competition was won by Pyotr Zlobin and Maria Travnicheva, silver by Makar Borodin and Amalia Gabdyusheva. Ilya Khurtin won the bronze medal. Short track competitions were won by Albina Alieva. Anna Ovchinnikova and David Makaryan became second. In addition, the women's team won the team competition, their second team won silver medals, and the second men's team won bronze medals.
The Russian-Chinese Games in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk will conclude on January 13.
