Taking the Klopp effect to the slopes

After sweeping three golds in youth aerials at China's 14th National Winter Games on Saturday, Hebei coach Shen Shuai dashed down from the landing zone, fists pumping in a celebratory gesture reminiscent of Liverpool soccer manager Jurgen Klopp's iconic moves.

"I am trying to project a tough-guy image to my young skiers," the bearded Shen, who is not dissimilar in appearance to Klopp, told Xinhua.

After posing for pictures with China's rising aerials stars during the medal ceremony, the 34-year-old gave an insight into why he has enjoyed such success on the slopes.

The Hebei aerials team was established in 2016. During a visit to a sports school in Baoding city, Hebei province, Shen spotted 9-year-old Yu Shengzhe's natural talent.

"He moves his body through the air with such style; what's more, compared with his teammates, his landings are outstanding. So, I decided to invite Yu to join our newly established provincial team," Shen said.

To propel these talented youngsters to the National Games podium, Shen devised a rigorous training program.

"Our skiers not only trained their skills, we also had strength conditioning sessions each day. The tough training has proven effective in rapidly improving our athletes' performances," Shen said.

Besides Yu, Chen Xuezheng and Liu Xuanchi have also emerged as top talents under Shen's tutelage.

In the aerials competitions at the National Winter Games, the 15-year-old Chen won two gold medals. Liu, representing Shaanxi, won bronze in the women's aerials, even outscoring Beijing 2022 champion Xu Mengtao.

"It's hard for the teenage skiers to have self-discipline. So I devised many rules for our team," Shen said.

These include requiring the young Hebei skiers to hand over their cellphones at 9 pm and then go to bed within the hour.

"There are too many distractions online for my skiers. In their spare time, watching movies and playing computer games are allowed, but everyone should obey my rules," Shen told Xinhua.

Yu says his coach's high standards have rubbed off on the team.

"Coach Shen is not satisfied with ordinary performances in training; he continually stresses to us the skills that deliver high scores," Yu added.

The Zhalantun venue's strong winds posed challenges for many competitors, including Olympic champion Xu and medalist Jia Zongyang, who struggled with their landings. Indeed, the pressure of the Games clearly affected Xu, bringing her to tears on Friday.

Despite the unpredictable weather, Shen's philosophy never wavers.

"Although the weather conditions are changing, we treat the changes with constancy," Shen said.

"We have stable finishes in competitions because we have practiced time and time again in recent years," he said.

Shen, much like soccer great Klopp, is a constant presence on the sidelines, energetically encouraging and supporting his athletes.

"I like to pass my mental power to them and boost their confidence," Shen said.

Shen is reluctant to talk about his plans for the future, but his students are clear they harbor ambitions beyond the national stage.

"I will keep improving my level in order to participate at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics," said Yu.

Xinhua