Zhao Dan Makes History with China’s First Women’s Skeleton Gold! 🥇
Have you ever zoomed down an icy track head-first at lightning speed? 🛷 Well, that’s exactly what Zhao Dan from China did to make history! At just 21 years old, Zhao Dan won China’s very first gold medal in the women’s skeleton event at the IBSF World Cup in Yanqing, Beijing.
On Saturday, Zhao sped her way through two thrilling races, finishing first in both heats! She completed the course in an amazing time of 2 minutes and 4.27 seconds. That’s like listening to two of your favorite songs back-to-back! 🎵
She beat Germany’s Hannah Neise, who is the 2022 Winter Olympic champion, by 0.37 seconds. That’s less than the time it takes to blink! 😲 Britain’s Freya Tarbit came in third place with a time of 2:04.68.
Last season, Zhao had already made history by winning China’s first silver medal in the same event, missing gold by just 0.02 seconds. This time, she went for gold and got it! 🥇
“I finally realized my dream at home,” Zhao said with a big smile. “Our whole team made great progress in recent years, and I performed my best today.” She also added, “I need to keep focused and try my best in the following events overseas.”
In the men’s skeleton event, Germany’s Christopher Grotheer won gold again, with a time of 2:01.93. That’s even faster! Britain’s Matt Weston was just 0.01 seconds behind him, and China’s Yin Zheng happily took the bronze medal. 🥉
Zhao Dan’s amazing victory is a huge inspiration for young athletes everywhere. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be the next sports superstar! 🌟
Reference(s):
Zhao Dan wins China's first women's skeleton gold at IBSF World Cup
cgtn.com
