Feature: Chen Lu transforms from "Butterfly on Ice" into professional coach

BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Along West Dawang road in east Beijing, an air-dome ice rink stands out against a block of glass-walled buildings. Outside the dome are bustling crowds, whilst inside are many young skaters, circling on the ice and striving to fulfill their dreams.

Gritting their teeth to get up after falling to the ground, several were practising a series of movements repeatedly - sliding, jumping and spinning.

Among those little figures stands Chen Lu, China's first Olympic medalist and world champion in figure skating. The 45-year-old oozed unpretentious grace with just a few simple moves, and encouraged those determined faces, "A nice move! Keep going!", "Come up, and try again", "Well done! Remember the feeling!"

Looking around at the hard-working boys and girls, Chen sees herself years ago.

At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Chen wowed spectators with her performance to classical Chinese piece "Butterfly Lovers," at only 21 years old, thus earning her nickname "Butterfly on Ice" for her elegant and breathtaking movement.

The Nagano bronze medalist retired after the 1998 Games and has now become a professional coach to young skaters, including her daughter, Anastasia Petrova, both in and out of the Olympics.

Born in Changchun, northeast China, in 1976, Chen grew up in strong sporting atmosphere. Her father was the former captain of China's national ice hockey team, and taught her to skate on a patch of ice in her backyard, while her mother was a table tennis player.

"Through the window of my home, I could see an ice yard nearby. After dinner, parents would bring their children to play on it," Chen said.

"I really loved dancing when I was a little girl. It always made me happy when I had the chance to demonstrate my dancing talents," Chen smiled, "At that time, my parents thought that figure skating fitted me best, which includes both dancing and skating and thus was the best of both worlds."

"I still remember in my childhood when a TV documentary told the story of Peggy Fleming, the American figure skating Olympic Champion. In just one moment, I was fascinated by her every single graceful movement and made up my mind to be like her."

However, Chen says it has not always been an easy journey.

"The training conditions in the beginning were really tough. The only feeling of skating I got was chilly at that time, but I was so eager to learn and master every new jump and spiral," Chen said. "I was actually unsure of myself at the very start, not on account of my techniques, but the rudimentary equipment."

"Yet I felt settled every time I saw my nation's flag, as I knew that I took part in the Games on behalf of my country, with thousands of my compatriots behind me."

As a young skater in the early 1990s, Chen demonstrated both athletic and artistic potential. She won the first of her 10 Chinese national championships in 1989 shortly after her 13th birthday, and went on to take bronze medals at both the 1991 and 1992 World Junior Championships. After that, Chen shocked the skating world with a sixth place finish at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, as she was one of only a few skaters who attempted a triple Lutz combination in the technical program.

However, Chen's remarkable career hasn't always gone smoothly.

A big loss came at the 1997 World Championships, when she finished only 25th after the short program and did not qualify for the final free skate.

"Forgoing was very easy, as I had already been world champion before," Chen said about her setback in Lausanne. "But my inner voice told me that I should keep going and nothing could stop me from Nagano 1998."

In Nagano, Chen managed to win her second Olympic bronze and the "Butterfly on Ice" got the reputation for her strong Chinese style. And her performances took on a special significance both as a comeback and a farewell at that time.

After retirement, Chen began to focus on the development of winter sports in China, becoming a professional figure skating coach and opening a skating rink in Beijing.

"I will dedicate my life to skating in another form, and hope that my experience can inspire those who want to learn about this dance on ice."