Ye Qiaobo is the first Chinese speed skater to become world champion－she was the women's all-round world champion in 1992 and 1993. She is also one of seven former Olympians selected for the prestigious Artists-in-Residence program for the Olympic Agora in Beijing. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

"I used to be a speed skater, and now I study Chinese painting," is how Ye Qiaobo introduces herself.

She wasn't just any speed skater though. Ye was the first Chinese speed skater to become world champion－she was the women's all-round world champion in 1992 and 1993. The silver medal she won at Albertville 1992 was China's first ever medal at the Olympic Winter Games. She is considered one of the greatest winter sports athletes in China.

In honor of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, I painted plum blossoms to offer my best wishes to the athletes from all over the world who have arrived here to participate. Plum blossoms represent the five blessings in China.

Ye Qiaobo, athlete

Currently, Ye is one of seven former Olympians selected for the prestigious Artists-in-Residence program for the Olympic Agora in Beijing. The Olympic Agora celebrates the values of the Games and showcases art, culture and sport.

"Through my understanding of both sport and art, I think my work shows both my soft and hard sides," explains Ye, describing the artwork she has submitted to the program. Her three works are in Chinese traditional brush painting style and depict magnolias, plum blossoms and bamboo.

"In honor of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, I painted plum blossoms to offer my best wishes to the athletes from all over the world who have arrived here to participate," she says. "Plum blossoms represent the five blessings in China, which have five meanings: peace, auspiciousness, happiness, good luck and longevity."

(PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The bamboo painting, explains Ye, symbolizes integrity and unpretentiousness.

"Bamboo is upright, confident and full of vitality. So, I hope that by drawing bamboo, I can bless the athletes at the Winter Games and hope that they have excellent results."

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Ye's sporting journey began around Small Heaven Lake of Paektu Mountain but skating was not her first sport. As a sporty 9-year-old, Ye was interested in running and playing table tennis and had not tried winter sports. That's when a coach noticed her ability and her bursts of speed, and urged her into skating.

"I think skating matched my personality, because I love to challenge myself and fight for first place," she says. "Speed was exciting."

The rest, as they say, is history. Ye is renowned not just for her three Olympic medals but also for her resilience. In 1993, in order to compete at Lillehammer 1994, she underwent multiple surgeries on a crushed knee. Still suffering from the injury, she went back on the rink, and won a third Olympic medal in the 1,000m. After the Games, she went back to the operating table to have more chips of crushed bone removed.

Her story influenced and moved a generation of people, and "The Spirit of Qiaobo" is a famous phrase still today.

"Many years after my retirement, the medals and trophies I won became dull, sometimes forgotten in the corner," she concludes. "However, the accolades that I earned through my hard work and dedication always inspire young people who are feeling low, who are lost in hesitation and hard situations, when they are about to give up－this is an unexpected bonus outside the arena, and it is even more significant and valuable than the medal itself."

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Drawing parallels between art and sport, she says: "Both require perseverance, persistence and endurance. When I was on the ice, I was very vigorous, determined and disciplined. When I paint, I just let my hand move romantically and spontaneously. The world in my eyes is very delicate and graceful, I also become immersed in the perceptive atmosphere of Zen."

Launched by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage at Pyeongchang 2018, the Olympian Artists-in-Residence program celebrates the link between sport and culture by offering opportunities to athletes with artistic interests to produce and present new artworks during and between editions of the Olympic Games.