Chinese youth curling teamleader chases Olympic dreams

LAUSANNE - An easy win over Brazil. Playing a key role in a victory against Hungary. The Chinese youth curling team's Zhang Likun enjoyed his first Youth Olympic voyage.

Despite not making it in the last day of the mixed curling competitions at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games on Tuesday, the 17-year-old remains optimistic.

"Affected by some errors in my last game, we had underperformances and my power control in delievering stones was not so good," Zhang said.

Zhang says that his team can and will improve their performance going forward.

"The gap exists [between us and the competition], but we can overcome it!" Zhang said.

His confidence has a lot to do with his experience growing up. At the age of 11 or 12, he began to practice short track speed skating. He worked hard but didn't achieve good results.

After a struggle, he chose to switch to curling which has fascinated him ever since. "Practicing curling is not just about physical strength, but also mental capability. The beauty of 'chess in ice' appeals to me."

With two-year's of hard work, Zhang became the team leader of the Chinese Curling team for the YOG.

Next, Zhang will also compete in the mixed doubles competitions in Lausanne.

"The defeat in these earlier games will help me to accumulate experience and strive for success," Zhang said.

"Curling practice is a long-term kind of thing. Technique is fundamental and strategy is key. First, I will strive to be the top player at my age and then aim for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games," Zhang said.