Zhu self-critical, China still advance into team event free skate

SHINE | 08-Feb-2022 | Xinhua

Host China’s sole women’s singles competitor Zhu Yi couldn’t help crying after missing a triple Loop during her short program at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games figure skating team event here on Sunday morning. With the major error, the 19-year-old Olympic debutant earned the lowest technical score of 22.34 points, bringing her total score to 47.03, sitting bottom among 10 skaters and adding just one point to the country’s total score.

“I counted over and over again,” Zhu said and burst into tears, calling back the huge pressure she felt before Sunday’s competition as the country, which had never made the Olympic team finals before, was in third place after Friday’s men’s, pairs short programs and rhythm dance. “The venue is amazing, the crowd is amazing, and the judges, I can see, are very excited and happy,” Zhu told a post-match mixed zone, ruling out the factor of subjective reasons.

“Before I started, I guess I just put a lot of pressure, because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies, and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do. But unfortunately, I didn’t,” she said. China, however, eventually edged into the free skating with a total of 22 points, thanks to two-time world title-winning pair Sui Wenjing/Han Cong’s top-finish performance. Georgia, also on 22, was narrowly beaten to sixth place due to less leading performance in each discipline.

Hitting the rink first and skating to Paint It Black, Zhu scrambled after landing her opening combination jump of triple Flip-triple Toeloop, did well in the double Axel, but totally missed her third jump, a triple loop. “I honestly have the first combination been so fast, I don’t even remember what happened. But when I landed the flip, it was nice and I feel like I totally pull off that but unfortunately didn’t happen. “The loop, personally I was very confident before I even start on the ice because it’s no problem in practices. I guess because I missed the first jump, I was just kind of fragile and under a lot of pressure on landing that last jump,” she said. “I just felt very sad and upset. I want to say sorry to my teammates that I couldn’t do it better and help them during this team event. But I am very grateful to have them and have been sharing with them.

Born to Chinese parents in Los Angeles, Zhu won the women’s title in the novice division at the 2018 United States Figure Skating Championships in San Jose before she was naturalized as a Chinese citizen the following year.

China will vie against the Russian Olympic Committee team, the United States, Japan and Canada in the free skate on Sunday and Monday for the first gold on offer here in figure skating.