China's Ice and Snow Projects: "Cold but Not Forgotten"
What force has turned bobsleigh, a project that many have never even heard of, into a source of national pride for China? At the 2024-2025 International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup in Winterberg, Germany, the Chinese team not only won the gold medal but also stood on both podiums, stunning the world! This is a project that was previously unknown to many sports fans, yet two Chinese teams have used their historic achievements to "wake it up."
The story behind this is a combination of personal struggle by the athletes, miraculous operations in the country's sports strategy, and the hidden "trump card" of cross-border talent selection. Next, let's uncover the true face of this "ridiculous victory" together.
Bobsleigh World Cup sounds a bit aloof and isn't a hot event, but in this year's Winterberg match, every second was a moment of excitement. At the competition site, the Chinese pair of Zhao Dan and Lin Qianwei performed like a textbook. The two partners staged a god-level performance, cleanly taking the gold medal with a time of 2 minutes and 0.87 seconds, directly putting the Five-star Red Flag at the center of the podium. This gold medal is not only the first time the Chinese team has won the championship in this event, but it is also the best reward for the hard training of the past few years.
During the competition, Zhao Dan took the field with a momentum like breaking bamboo, completing the first leg with an excellent result of 1 minute and 0.46 seconds, directly gaining a huge leading advantage, leaving the opponents to "admire from afar"; Lin Qianwei took over the responsibility in the second leg, withstood high pressure, and steadily embraced victory. It can be said that the cooperation between the two was impeccable, and their strong strength is the hardest core weapon.
Equally noteworthy is another Chinese pair, Li Yuxi and Yin Zheng, who took third place with a time of 2 minutes and 1.28 seconds, also standing on the podium. With one gold and one bronze, the Chinese team directly took two podium seats, showing off their real strength. Not only that, but the two pairs gathered at the finish line, waving the Five-star Red Flag together, which made the audience so excited that their noses turned sour for a while.
But is this just a gold medal battle? Of course, hard power is important, but you should know that behind this lies too many days and nights of effort and tears.
Let's start with Zhao Dan. Her gold medal wasn't just "lying there waiting to be won." From track and field to the ice and snow arena, this girl used the words "struggle" to break through limit after limit. She started as a track and field athlete and later, because of the national cross-border talent selection mechanism, switched to the more obscure sport of bobsleigh. From knowing nothing to becoming a world cup champion, her journey can be described as a real-life "speed and passion."
In fact, as early as the 2022 Beijing Yanqing World Cup, Zhao Dan won a gold medal in the women's bobsleigh event, which was another breakthrough for Chinese women's projects. And this time, partnering with Lin Qianwei to win the mixed doubles championship, she also achieved the dream of being a "double gold king" in individual events. It's no exaggeration to say that she was born to be a sprint champion.
Another protagonist worth savoring is Lin Qianwei. Don't look at him standing on the ice and snow track today looking so glamorous; his athletic career also comes from track and field training. Lin Qianwei started with long jump! After going through multiple evaluations, he was selected to join the bobsleigh team, which led to his splendid record today. In fact, his strength had already shown itself, such as in the 2023-2024 season when he won a championship in a men's group event at the European Cup—this World Cup victory is just a bigger step he has taken.
Zhao Dan's speed and Lin Qianwei's steadiness prove one thing: cross-border talent selection in Chinese sports is not only blooming but also beautiful. This may sound like a joke, but judging from the results, it is the truth. The Chinese bobsleigh team went from nothing to achieving a historic breakthrough in less than 10 years and stood at the top of the world. The real reason may be more complicated than you think. The key lies in two words: cross-border talent selection and the Winter Olympics effect.
First, let's talk about cross-border talent selection. Simply put, it provides a "second track" for track and field, gymnastics, and other athletes with excellent qualities but no access to the international stage. For example, Zhao Dan and Lin Qianwei actually have track and field backgrounds. Their explosive power, core control, and super control of body agility can be fully displayed in high-speed events like bobsleigh. And the Chinese team's training methods are particularly scientific and intensive, stacking time, effort, and technology, naturally stacking up results.
Secondly, there is the effect of the 2022 Winter Olympics. As the host country, China built world-class venues in that Winter Olympics, introduced top resources, and invited international excellent coaches to join, all of which provided hardware support for the Chinese team's "overtaking on the curve." Now it seems that the influence of the Winter Olympics is far from over but continues to permeate various ice and snow projects. These resources have been transformed into hundreds of days of training and growth, finally presented to the global audience in the form of a gold medal.
This victory not only set off a frenzy among domestic sports fans but also prompted foreign media to re-evaluate the strength of China's bobsleigh and other ice and snow sports projects. Mainstream media such as CCTV and People's Daily have given high praise: "Historic breakthrough," "A miracle from zero to one," and "The best embodiment of team spirit." Netizens are even more excited and joking: "This gold medal makes the opponents hear 'bone-chilling'!"
Of course, viewed from the perspective of international ice and snow sports, this breakthrough may trigger deeper changes. China's strong performance has already aroused interest from more and more countries in this cross-border training model. After all, high-speed events like bobsleigh require comprehensive quality, relying on both explosive power and high-precision psychological quality. Our victory, in the end, is the hard-core ability "polished" by spending time and thinking.
Next year will be the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, and this victory may be more like a "training ground" for the Chinese team. Although the two pairs stood on the podium, they should also be clear in their hearts: the further ahead, the fiercer the competition will become. Since they have succeeded once, they must strive to meet newer and greater challenges.
The "underdog comeback" at the Bobsleigh World Cup not only allowed us to see the brilliant moments of personal struggles by athletes like Zhao Dan and Lin Qianwei but also truly understand that the beauty of sports is not only in the results but also in that passion, always having the courage to challenge the limits. At this moment, we have waited, for their masterpiece at the peak.
It makes people can't help but look forward to: next time, in which project will they create new waves?