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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, February 18, 2002

China Wins First-ever Gold in Winter Olympics

Yang Yang (A) spent 44.187 seconds to cross the finish line first in the women's 500 meters short track speed skating final race Saturday evening, winning the gold medal that China has been longing for more than two decades in winter Olympics.


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China Wins First-ever Gold in Winter Olympics
Yang Yang (A) spent 44.187 seconds to cross the finish line first in the women's 500 meters short track speed skating final race Saturday evening, winning the gold medal that China has been longing for more than two decades in winter Olympics.

In the final race Saturday evening, world all-around individual champion Yang Yang (A) lived up to expectation when she defeated long-time rival and friend Evgenia Radanova of Bulgaria for the title.

Radanova had the silver in 44.252 seconds.

Another Chinese skater Wang Chunlu had the bronze medal at 44.272 seconds.


Yang Yang's Family Celebrating Her Winter Olympics Champion
The gold, to Chinese winter sports athletes, is the long-time dream come true.

"After pains-taking efforts by Chinese athletes, the time has been mature for us to win a gold in winter Olympic Games," said YeQiaobo, who won the first ever silver medal for China in winter Olympics at the Albertville games ten years ago.

"From the starting point, I was almost one hundred per cent sure that Yang Yang (A) could make it this time," Ye said.

In the final stretch after the last curve, Yang Yang (A), silver medalist in 3,000m relay in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics,accelerated her pace when Radanova, her long-time rival and friend,came from behind, trying to overtake the lead.


Joyful Tears
The Chinese skater pushed hard to cross the finish line first and cupped her face with hands, weeping for the gold.

"When I crossed the finish line, I told myself, 'I am Yang Yang(A), I am not anyone else,'" she said.

Yang Yang (A) and Wang Chunlu then carried a Chinese national flag and skated around the ice rink in Salt Lake Ice Center with the capacity crowds giving them a standing ovation.

"I feel great tonight. Before the race, I told myself, do my best," she said.

"For me, my dream came true. For my country, it's the first gold medal in Winter Olympics. It's been our dream for the past two generations. I'm real happy that we took this gold today," added the Chinese skater.

China made its debut in Lake Placid Winter Olympics. However China did not take any medal until the 1992 Albertville Olympics when Ye Qiaobo finished second in both the women's 500m and 1,000mspeed skating and Li Yan took the silver in women's 500m short track speed skating event.

Since then, China has collected a bundle of silver and bronze medals in winter Olympics and became the only country that has collected 10 silvers and 4 bronzes without a gold medal in winter Olympics.

In 1994 and 1998 winter Olympics, Chinese short track speed skaters were on the edge to break the gold-jinx but missed in final seconds in several distances.

"It is not easy for us to take the gold," said Chinese Olympic Committee vice president He Huixian, who is also chief-de-mission of the Chinese delegation.

Chinese head coach Xin Qingshan could not keep his joy, saying:"I have been expecting for the gold for 14 years. It is a result achieved by two generations through pains-taking efforts."





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Medal Table at Salt Lake City Winter Olympics

Medal Table at Salt Lake City Winter Olympics

 

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