'Godfather' carves history

Emotional Chinese figure skating coach vows to push for more

VANCOUVER, Canada: As the end result for China's figure skating pair Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo shone on the scoreboard at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada on Monday night, one silent character clutched the couple tightly and shed tears for the historical victory.

The emotional man of the moment was Yao Bin, head coach of the Chinese team and considered the "Godfather" of China's figure skating.

Yao was the nation's first generation figure skater and personally witnessed the growth of the sport in China from its birth to full maturity.

At the Vancouver Games, fellow skaters Shen and Zhao claimed China's first-ever Olympic title for the event since the sports powerhouse entered the Winter Games 30 years ago.

Their compatriots, Pang Qing and Tong Jian, added more glory with a silver, edging reigning world champion Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany into third place.

The youngest Chinese pair, Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao, completed China's strong run in the event, finishing fifth.

Shen and Zhao are the first-ever non-European couple to top the Olympic pair podium, snapping a 12-game winning streak from Russia who had dominated the Olympic figure skating pair events for 46 years. They also set a record high total of 216.57 points, while Pang and Tong took the best single score for free skating with 141.81.

Such remarkable achievements are enough for Yao to be overjoyed, but the 52-year-old tried to remain calm.

"I didn't want to cry, but Shen's tears affected me," Yao told China Daily. "When the score for Pang and Tong, who skated last-but-one, came out, the team officials came to hug me and shouted, 'the gold medal, the gold medal'. But what I thought at that time was how to guide Shen and Zhao because they would skate last.

"Even when Shen hugged me after they secured the gold, all that was in my mind was that their routine was not perfect and they could still improve."

Yao has experienced all sides of the sport in China due to his 40 years of work as an athlete and a coach.

He helped kick off China's figure skating by entering the local team of Harbin, his birthplace, in 1970.

Yao and his partner Luan Bo quickly became the first team to represent China at the World Figure Skating Championships.

But it was not all glory. There was an embarrassing experience at their debut in the 1980 World Championships in Dortmund, Germany. They finished 15th, in last place.

Yao remembers people in the audience laughing at their poor skating, but he didn't give up.

He returned to the World Championships again in 1981 and 1982, finishing last both times. Finally, after his team was placed 15th at the 1984 Winter Olympics, Yao became determined to create a world-class team.

The skates were sidelined and Yao started again, this time as a coach.

His three fellow pairs of skaters quickly emerged as strong contenders on the world stage, dominated by western skaters for decades.

Their highly emotional performances were fresh ideas for the western judges, who were unfamiliar with the performance routines of Asian skaters.

Then in the 1990s, the three pairs snapped the Russian domination and snatched multiple world titles and Olympic medals.

But despite the medals and success, Yao is more than just a coach to his stars.

Besides orchestrating the training routines, Yao, who likes to read and play piano, also made the costumes for his skaters in the very beginning. He even cut their hair.

"Figure skating is the only thing I have fought for throughout my whole life. Now is the time for China to shine," Yao said.

His athletes see this energy and drive as the biggest force behind the country's figure skating success.

"Everything we have achieved can be attributed to coach Yao," Shen said.

"It is Yao who lifted Chinese skaters to the top of the world," said Xiao Tian, deputy chef-de-mission of the Chinese delegation. "He paved the way for Chinese figure skating."

(China Daily 02/18/2010 page12)