China's Xu Mingfu reacts after finishing his run in the men's downhill event at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre on Monday. [Photo/AFP]
Xu Mingfu made history at Beijing 2022 on Feb 7 by becoming the first Chinese competitor to finish an Olympic downhill competition.
The 24-year-old eventually ranked 36th with a time of 1 min 56.93 sec, and although he was well off the pace at the top of the leaderboard - Beat Feuz clocked a winning time of 1:42.69－Xu was still delighted with his performance on the intimidating "The Rock" course at the National Alpine Skiing Centre.
"For me, simply being able to finish the competition means I have passed the test. When I stood at the start line, to be honest, I was really nervous and even afraid," said Xu.
"That's because I had never hit a speed of 100 km/h during the Olympics. For many European athletes they can keep leveling up their speed as they already have developed great skills when they were kids.
I started late, so I didn't have that much time to practice and hone my skills," added Xu, who was gifted a signature watch to honor his achievement from Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee.
Xu started his Alpine skiing career focusing on slalom and giant slalom, competing at the 2017 and 2019 world championships. He admitted switching to the faster downhill event for Beijing 2022 was no easy task.
"During some point today, my speed reached 100 km/h. It was a real test for my body, and I felt my ears buzzing. After crossing the finish line, my legs were sore," Xu added.
Xu believes that, thanks to the influence of Beijing 2022 and the lasting legacy of the National Alpine Skiing Centre, more young Chinese skiers will discover the thrill of his sport.
"In the future, we will have more chances to train and compete to constantly improve ourselves. We've made the first step, and I am confident Team China has a bright future," Xu said.
"My impression is that Chinese people love to try new things. Chinese skiers will be equally competitive in the future. And I will push myself to my limits, trying my best in every competition."