Profile | Winter Olympics: who is Gao Tingyu? ‘Too short to be a speed skater’, mad about Jay Chou and a steely determination to win gold at home
- The 24-year-old has been eyeing Olympic gold ever since he won bronze at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang
- His beloved coach Liu Guangbin initially told him he was too short to join his squad and to come back when he grows taller
Chinese speed skater Gao Tingyu had his sights set on the podium at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games after winning his first World Cup title for men’s 500m in November last year.
“I’m very excited about my first World Cup gold,” he told state broadcaster CGTN after his World Cup win. “But the main goal this season is to make to the podium of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games.”
The 24-year-old’s progress shedding those seconds foretold his success on Saturday. He clinched gold and set Olympic record with a time of 34.32 seconds, 0.09 faster than the record from 2018 by Norwegian speed skater Haavard Holmefjord Lorentzen.
Gao shouted at top of his lungs and hugged his coaches and support team when all speed skaters have had their turn and no one was faster than him. Not only did he know he would win a medal, it was the gold.