Figure skater Zhu Yi nervous but excited to represent China at Beijing 2022

BEIJING - Olympic debutant Zhu Yi admits feeling under pressure to represent China at Beijing 2022 but is determined to turn it into motivation, said the teenage figure skater after a training session in the Capital Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

"It's my first Olympic Winter Games. Of course the pressure is huge. But I'll use the nervousness to perform better," said the 19-year-old.

Zhu has trained here alone for two days before Karen Chen of the United States and Czech skater Eliska Brezinova joined her in the women's singles training session at the venue which is set to hold figure skating and short track speed skating competitions.

"I feel so much better," she said. "On the first two days, I felt lonely but excited. But everything turned alright today."

"I don't know why. Maybe because I got used to the rink and I am well tuned now. There are other skaters today and training with them really gets my adrenaline going," she added.

Born to Chinese parents in Los Angeles, Zhu won the women's title in the novice division at the 2018 United States Figure Skating Championships in San Jose before she naturalized as a Chinese citizen the following year.

"Everyone is supporting me here, my coaches, teammates and friends. It's touching and very important to me," Zhu said.