The Beijing Winter Games saw many young athletes shine on the biggest stage for winter sports. As the Chinese saying goes, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers（初生牛犊不怕虎）. Let’s take a look at three Olympic medalists（奖牌获得者）who debuted（首次亮相）at Beijing 2022.

Su Yiming

At just 18, snowboarder（单板滑雪运动员）Su Yiming made history by winning China’s first gold medal in men’s snowboarding. Also, he won a silver medal in the slopestyle（坡面障碍技巧）. In the slopestyle event, he wowed the crowd with a tough trick（高难度动作）called triple cork 1800（三周空翻转体1800度）—five full rotations（旋转）in the air! He said it was crazy that he competed and stood on the podium（领奖台）with his childhood idols—Canadian snowboarders Max Parrot and Mark McMorris.

Inspired by his parents’ love of skiing, Su started snowboarding when he was just 4 years old. At that time, his parents couldn’t find a snowboard in China that would fit him. He showed talent in acting too. But he set his heart on snowboarding in 2015 after Beijing got the chance to host the 2022 Winter Games. “I was still in elementary school, yet I promised myself that I would try to make it to my home Olympics. To many people, it sounded like an unrealistic goal,” he said. But now it has become a reality. “I want to say to all Chinese snowboarders that they should keep working hard and never give up, because dreams can come true,” said Su after his win.

Gu Ailing

One of the most talked-about athletes at Beijing 2022 is two-time freeski（自由式滑雪）world champion Gu Ailing. Going into the Games, the 18-year-old set her sights high（目标远大）.

In the women’s freeski big air event, she won gold thanks to a left double cork 1620 jump. To complete the jump, she made four and a half rotations in the air and landed backward（向后）. It was a difficult jump that she had never done before. Her mother told her to play it safe. “But I didn’t listen to her and gave it a go, not trying to beat anyone but to elevate（提升）myself to the next level,” said Gu.

Gu is known for her strong will and hard work. She encourages teenagers, especially girls, to challenge themselves through winter sports. “I love feeling nervous and then overcoming（克服）it, feeling that rush and that reward（回报）…that got me into skiing,” Gu told The New York Times. Gu is also a part-time model and piano player. She will start studying at Stanford University this fall.

Li Wenlong

The Winter Olympics opened on Feb 4, the same day that speed skater Li Wenlong celebrated his 2lst birthday. Three days later, he won a silver medal in the men’s 1,000m short track speed skating.

It was Li’s first Winter Olympics. He skated behind his teammates as a team tactic（战术）. It means that he tried to help his teammates to win. Li did a good job. With his help, teammate Ren Ziwei won the gold medal. And Li himself crossed the line in second place. It was a big surprise! “I’m also very excited. This silver is just the beginning,” said Li. “I’m going to keep going and hope to one day change the color of the medal to gold.”

Li started to skate at age 11. Quiet and hardworking, he is a good team player. “No matter if it’s in training or competition, Li is always willing to support his teammates. He sees the team as more important than himself,” said his coach（教练）, Liu Xiaoying.

Olympic hero Yang Qian says her new-found fame (名声) won’t shake her aim as she manages to get more glory (光荣). The 21-year-old shooter bagged two gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and became the darling (宠儿) of the nation. However, she is determined to focus on (关注) her athletic career.

“It’s an honor to have the support from all the fans. I’ll try my best to play my role and to show more positive (积极的) energy to the public,” said Yang.

“Also, the end of the Tokyo Olympics is not the end of my career. I have more championships to compete in. I need to stay focused on my training.”

Unknown before the Games, Yang now finds herself with 3 million Weibo followers. Yang said that her quick rise has been a lot to process, but thinks what matters more is how she’s grown during the journey.

“I actually didn’t think too much when I stood on the highest podium (领奖台). I was surprised and really happy. I did not expect to win the first gold,” she said.

“At that moment, there was nothing but pure joy in my mind. But the second we step down from the podium, everything starts from zero again.”

Yang explained that, by focusing on the process, she was able to hold her nerve (神经). She said, “I try not to think too much about the result. The result is actually out of your control. What you can control is the process. As long as I try my best during the process, I’m satisfied with myself.”

Nate Robinson is unlike any other players in the NBA. This player is the shortest in the NBA, but he is one of the most fearless players. He is 1.75m tall. “In NBA, he looks like a fourth-grader among a group of high school students,” according to The Atlantic.

How can he compete（竞争）with them? Robinson makes up for this with his ability to jump. Without moving forwards or backwards, he can jump up to 110cm. However, confidence helps him more. “People talk about my height all the time, but I don’t really feel smaller than anyone else,” said Robinson. “I always think I’m on fire（充满激情的）.” No matter who you are or what you’ve won, he’s going to come at you. With that spirit, he has won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest three times. Also, he has made many wonderful blocks（盖帽）.

Chicago Bulls played Miami Heat on May 10, 2013. LeBron James, the 2.03-meter-tall player from Miami Heat, went to shoot. But Robinson blocked him. He also blocked Shaquille O’Neal in Cleveland Cavaliers and even Yao Ming in Houston Rockets.

Nate Robinson is a hero. He has given many basketball fans hope. Maybe one day, you can also block big guys like LeBron James!