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HOHHOT, China, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) — On the primary gold medal day of quick monitor pace skating at China’s 14th Nationwide Winter Video games, Sarah Henderson from Britain, chief referee of the occasion, instructed Xinhua, that “it’s a very sturdy competitors and nice racing.”
Solar Lengthy of Jilin and Heilongjiang’s Zang Yize triumphed the boys’s and the ladies’s 1,500m quick monitor pace skating respectively, whereas Shandong claimed the victory within the 2,000m blended crew relay on Friday.
“The semifinals and finals in the present day are so thrilling to look at,” Henderson mentioned. “There’s the whole lot we’d like for a contest. It’s a nice occasion for the athletes and coaches with the improbable ice rink and amenities right here.”
She was additionally impressed by the group within the venue: “They love skaters. I noticed the posters of Wu Dajing. It’s an fulfilling atmosphere.”
The Nationwide Winter Video games marks Henderson’s fourth journey to China, after the check occasions of the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2021, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the ISU Quick Observe Velocity Skating World Cup in Beijing final December.
“I’ve been a brief monitor referee for over 15 years. Once I got here to China for the Olympics two years in the past, the quick monitor was on TV. It was a terrific expertise to see that the occasion is a well-liked sport on this nation,” she mentioned.
Henderson additionally believes that China will stay aggressive on the worldwide stage: “China has been sturdy for a very long time and is ready to win champions, World Cups and have nice racing yearly.”
In recent times, China has engaged greater than 300 million individuals in winter sports activities, and the ice-and-snow business performs a significant function in boosting the nation’s economic system this winter.
“I actually get pleasure from seeing the promotion of winter sports activities. There are lots of younger skills in China,” Henderson famous. “Maintain going. Will probably be thrilling.” ■
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