Young and old team up for success at 14th China's National Winter Games

HOHHOT, China, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A 12-year-old skier from Inner Mongolia helped his team finish second in the men's 4x1500m cross-country skiing team relay on Saturday at China's 14th National Winter Games.

With two opponents ahead of him on the final leg, Zhao Yujun refused to give up. He fought back to help his team secure a spot in the final.

"I did my best to narrow the gap to a minimum," said Zhao's teammate, 58-year-old Liu Guowei on the first leg. "I'm so proud of Zhao. He's a great young skier."

The mass competition of China's 14th National Winter Games, which kicked off on January 13, featured a new rule requiring each team in the cross-country skiing and speed skating events to include one athlete between the ages of 8 and 14 and one athlete between the ages of 50 and 60.

On the track, veteran athletes have provided valuable guidance to their younger counterparts, while young athletes have injected new energy and enthusiasm into their older teammates.

Liu and Zhao are a perfect example of this "old-and-new" partnership. Liu, a native of Hulun Buir City, has been a passionate skier since childhood. Zhao, a student at a sports school, started skiing just a year ago.

The two have trained together and learned from each other. Liu has taught Zhao the technical aspects of skiing, while Zhao has brought Liu a new sense of vigor and determination.

Another heartwarming story comes from the Xinjiang team. Shabahaiti, who started skiing in sixth grade, has now become an experienced athlete. She and her father made a deal that if she made it to the final, he would let her get a cat.

Shabahaiti and her team eventually made it to the final, and her father was there to embrace her after the race.

Liu Renhui, the referee-in-chief for speed skating and the competition director for cross-country skiing, said the new rule was designed to promote mass participation in winter sports and to test the athletes' teamwork and coordination.

Wen Mingjian, the head coach of the Shandong cross-country skiing team, knows how important it is for teammates to work well together. He carefully adjusted the team's lineup based on the athletes' performance in training and their mental state. He put the most technically proficient and physically fit athlete in the third leg, which helped the team perform at its best overall.

Wen said the Shandong team's advantage is that the young and old athletes are all students and teachers at the same school. They are supportive and caring of each other, and they communicate and coordinate well, which has been a great help in training and competition.

On the winter games, age is not a barrier, but a bridge of tradition. The experience of the veterans meets the youthful vigor of the newcomers, and the whole venue is filled with a spirit of tradition, perseverance, teamwork, and inspiration.