As a southerner, he flew high and pursued his dreams in the icy and snowy arena. After 16 years of unremitting efforts, he stood on the highest podium of the Winter Olympics. He is Qi Guangpu, the men's aerial skills champion of freestyle skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
"I come from Jiangsu" is the most commonly used phrase by Qi Guangpu when introducing himself. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, the Chinese delegation achieved the best ever record in history by clinching 9 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. Qi Guangpu is the only Winter Olympic champion from the southern provinces.
His sports career began in his hometown of Xuzhou, Jiangsu, which is famous for martial arts and sports.
“At the age of 4,my parents sent me to an amateur sports school in Peixian to practice sports skills. You need to practice while others are practicing and you also need to practice when others are not. Only by putting in more effort than others, can you surpass your opponents,” said Qi Guangpu, Winter Olympics freestyle skiing men's aerial skills champion.
In his hometown, Qi Guangpu laid a solid foundation in physical and technical skills, and developed a resolute personality that never gave up. In 2000, under the strong recommendation of his mentor coach, 10-year-old Qi Guangpu arrived in Beijing to learn freestyle skiing aerial skills, and eventually grew from a beginner in skiing to a champion of the National Games.
At the age of 19, he made his debut on the international stage. Unexpectedly, during the competition, he fell heavily to the ground, suffered shock from a head impact, and was whisked out of the field.
Qi Guangpu posted the footage of this game on his social account, inspiring himself not to be afraid of failure. Finally, at the 2013 World Championships, Qi Guangpu successfully performed the "Sky Action" with a difficulty coefficient of 5.0 for the first time, earning him the title of "King of Difficulties".
“This action requires flipping back three times and adding five more twists although it only lasts for two or three seconds in the air. Not only do you need to make these eight turns, but you also need to calculate the wind direction and speed including the temperature at that time, the friction between the snowboard and the snow, and finally determine where I am positioned before landing. This action consumes a lot of energy and physical strength, and you may also face a huge risk of injury,” said Qi Guangpu, Winter Olympics Freestyle Skiing Men's Aerial Skills Champion.
In 2014 and 2018, Qi Guangpu appeared at the Olympic Games twice with the "world's most difficult" action, but both missed the podium due to errors.
On February 16, 2022, in the men's freestyle skiing aerial skills final, Qi Guangpu performed a perfect 5.0 difficulty move and finally realized his dream and won the gold medal.
“I rushed out and cried as I ran and then tears flew out as I ran. When we stood on the field, we represented China. When I was watching the national flag rising and singing the national anthem at the podium, my daughter was singing the national anthem at home. This picture is very touching when I recall it,” said Qi.
