Beijing Winter Olympic champion Gu Ailing carried the torch for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in the Loire-Atlantique department of western France on Wednesday. The 20-year-old freestyle skiing sensation expressed her excitement at participating in the torch relay as a young athlete.
“I am currently by the Loire River in France, having just completed the torch relay. I am still very excited and very happy to be here as a young athlete to participate in the event,” Gu said.
The event attracted a large number of local residents who cheered on the torchbearers. Gu was deeply moved by the enthusiastic atmosphere, noting the diverse crowd along the route.
“I saw children, elderly people, and even babies in their parents’ arms along the road. From them, I could feel their passion for the Olympics and sports. I think this is also part of the Olympic spirit—to attract more people to participate,” said Gu, who claimed two golds and one silver for China at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
During the torch relay, Gu frequently made a hand gesture representing the number six. She explained that in contemporary Chinese slang, “six” signifies being awesome. Additionally, the gesture resembles horns, and in Chinese, the character “niu,” meaning “cow,” also means awesome or impressive.
“I wanted to use this gesture to show that China is awesome, and Chinese athletes are awesome too. I especially hope to see Chinese athletes achieve great results in the upcoming Olympics next month,” Gu said. “I will definitely come to Paris to watch the Olympics then.”
When asked which event she was most looking forward to at the Summer Olympics, Gu hesitated to single out any particular sport.
“I can’t say that. I have many friends competing in the Olympics, and if I mention one and forget another, they might not be happy,” Gu joked.
With her semester at Stanford University having ended, Gu revealed that she had flown for more than 10 hours to France the day before the torch relay and was completing her final assignments on the plane.
“I have to fly back to the United States tomorrow to continue preparing for my final exams,” Gu said.
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Winter Olympic champion Gu Ailing carries torch for 2024 Summer Games
cgtn.com
