In this file photo taken on Feb 10, 2014, China's Han Tianyu celebrates his second-place finish in the men's 1,500 meters short track speed skating finals event at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, in Russia. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
HOHHOT, China - As the short track speed skating events of China's 14th National Winter Games began on Thursday, veteran Han Tianyu, who clinched two golds at the previous Games in 2016, spoke of his excitement at competing again.
"The National Winter Games finally comes after an eight-year wait. I am no longer young, but still passionate about my beloved skating. I will always try my best on the rink," said the 28-year-old.
There are many world-level skaters at the National Winter Games this time, which feels like an international tournament ... I am really delighted to see more young skaters grow faster than our generation.
Han Tianyu, Chinese short track speed skater
On the first competition day of short track speed skating, Han breezed into the next round in the men's 1,000m and 1,500m.
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"The facilities and environment in the venue were pretty good. I performed great today. With the increase of age, I need some time to recover from injuries and gradually improve my performance," he said.
"There are many world-level skaters at the National Winter Games this time, which feels like an international tournament," he added. "I am really delighted to see more young skaters grow faster than our generation."
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Han took silver in the men's 1,500m short track speed skating at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, before lifting his first individual World Cup title in 2015, and taking another Winter Olympic silver medal in the men's 5,000m relay at PyeongChang 2018, but he has not competed internationally in recent years.
"I have spent my youth skating and will not easily give up," Han noted. "Thanks to my family and fans for supporting me all the time. I want to give a better performance on the ice as a gift for them."
