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Veteran skater Li unfazed by bronze
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-14 06:49
TURIN, Italy: He missed the gold medal again, in his fourth Olympic attempt,
getting only a bronze. But this time, China's 31-year-old veteran skater Li
Jiajun may retire from the ice without any regrets.
 "I'm very satisfied with the result since the 1,500m is not my strong point,"
said Li after claiming the bronze medal at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games
1,500m short track speed skating on Sunday.
He won China's first medal at the Turin Games after being beaten by Korean
Ann Hyun-soo and Lee Ho-suk.
"It was very hard for me to achieve it since I met tough competition during
the heats and semi-finals and felt much pressure then," Li added.
With two silvers and two bronzes from his previous two Olympic Games, Li, the
oldest skater of the Chinese short track men's team, led the team to Turin.
"I have competed in so many races that I can stay calm in every competition
now," said Li before leaving for the Games. "What I have to do is to make solid
efforts on ice and that process is more important to me than the results."
This relaxed attitude helped him to give off his best.
"When I thought that I would retire after 13 days, right after the Olympics,
I strove with my full strength," said Li. "The only idea in my mind at that time
was to go all out in work and I reached the final unexpectedly."
Noteworthy career
Despite the bronze this time, Li's skating career has spawned many high
points.
Picking up short track speed skating at the age of 10, Li, who comes from
Changchun, the capital city of China's northeast Jilin province, has won several
titles.
These include four-time Olympic medallist, 16-time world
championship medallist, nine-time world champion in Olympic events, and World
Cup champion (1999). In 1999, Li also became the first Chinese man to win the
overall short track world title.
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