now turning to our winter games series "like a champ," featuring some of china's current and retired olympians. today, we meet zhang yiwei, a snowboarder who took part in both the 2014 and 2018 olympics. cgtn's omar khan spoke with the athlete on his experience and the snowboarding scene in china.
it's not every day that i get a personal snowboard coaching session from an olympian, especially a two-time participant. twenty-nine-year-old zhang yiwei may have already called it a day for olympic competition, but the athlete is still very much involved in snowboarding in china.
here in chongli, a district of zhangjiakou and a future olympic venue, zhang is promoting the downhill sport with the aim of fostering a snowboarding culture.
zhang yiwei two-time chinese olympic snowboarder "snowboarding will keep growing in china, especially in the future. it's a sport that combines elements of fashion, community and travel. some people may not see it as a sport, but more of a type of entertainment. it's a sport that's particularly suitable for chinese people, given our gymnastics and diving history. previously, we didn't have high-altitude ski resorts or long snow tracks. but we adapted, and created indoor ski parks and the right conditions for snowboarding."
despite no medal finishes for zhang, placing 6th in sochi and 15th in pyeongchang, his humble attitude and love for snowboarding remains unhindered. the passion and love for sport sometimes eclipses the medals and glory.
zhang yiwei two-time chinese olympic snowboarder "before 2010, my snowboarding skills were really poor, but when i saw the games in vancouver, i thought to myself, this is actually my dream. to just go. i'm professional, so if i don't go to an olympics, i'll regret it. in 2013, i improved a lot, my technical skills grew rapidly and i qualified for sochi. in my heart, there was no pressure, there was no heavy task feeling. winning for my country or winning medals, i see these things with an open and light attitude. i'm pursuing my dreams and giving it my all, that's enough for me."
between 2014 and 2018, zhang was at the top of his game, landing tricks like the triple cork in 2015 – a world first in the half-pipe, and competing at major snowboard championships.
in the span of those four years however, injuries would creep in, impacting zhang's training and progress.
reflecting on the past, zhang sees no need to hold any regrets.
zhang yiwei two-time chinese olympic snowboarder "after 2014, i was landing tricks like other top snowboarders, even the most difficult tricks. i could even do things others couldn't. i was really convinced that i could win a gold medal. but some of my training didn't go as planned, and then i had a knee injury. my recovery wasn't on schedule and it was incomplete. going into the 2018 games i knew i wasn't 100 percent. i was frustrated. but i understand what regret is, and that it's actually useless. my mind set in character. i am who i am and it has led to both my success and failures. these things are inevitable."
the silver lining for people like zhang are that not every athlete gets an opportunity to compete on the world stage, let alone two olympic games. in competitive moments and events, they are rightfully judged for their performance. but the legacy they create and leave after, is sometimes equally worthy of all the praise and acclaim that comes with being a champion.
