Meet China's newest sprinting Beixing
(NBCOlympics.com)
Updated: 2006-02-15 09:13

Wang Beixing comes off as an average 20-year-old. She laughs easily, and she’s modest about her accomplishments. But it doesn't take long before she exposes herself as a serious over-achiever.

The first hint comes when she introduces herself.

Wang Beixing spends a few months out of the year training in Calgary with Canadian skaters and coaches.

China's Wang Beixing races during the Winter Olympics women's 500 meter speedskating sprint competition at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006. [AP]

"Hi, I'm Beixing," says the sprinter, who started skating at age 9 in Harbin, China.

It's only four syllables of English, but for a Chinese athlete who moved to Calgary to train about two years ago, her introduction was a major feat.

When Wang and a handful of Chinese national team members arrived in Canada to train with 1998 Olympic bronze medalist Kevin (Overland) Crockett in 2004, they could barley speak English. They enrolled in an intense course to quickly learn the language, but the pressure of the class, combined with the stress of skating, was too much for the athletes and they put the lessons on hold.

Wang and her teammates continued to improve their vocabulary with the help of a pocket translation book, and she’s able to converse without much struggle.

She's even acquired a few pet phrases, her favorites being, "Oh my gosh," and, "Really?"

"At practice when I go over our workout schedule, it's, ‘Oh my gosh!’” Crockett says.

But Wang's English is only part of her impressive development.

The first-time Olympian burst onto the international speed skating scene last year, finishing sixth at the 2005 World Sprint Championships and taking ninth in the 1000m at the 2005 World Single Distance Championships.

She also picked up a silver in the 500m at the Single Distance Championships, where she finished behind only her compatriot, Wang Manli . The 1-2 finish made the duo contenders to add to the nation's previous two gold medals at the Winter Olympics, both captured by short track speed skater Yang Yang (A) at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.

Crockett beams when talking of Wang Beixing's recent success, thrilled with how well she responds to his coaching and how good she is at the start. But despite her coach's optimism, Wang Beixing doesn't consider herself the Chinese skater likely to be at the top of the podium in Torino.

"I think in the future I can maybe win a medal at the Olympics," she says. "This year I think maybe Manli can win."

Wang Manli is the two-time defending champion in the 500m at the World Single Distance Championships, but Wang Beixing is making the most progress. She was just 19 when she finished second in the 500m at Worlds, while Wang Manli was 29 when she claimed her first world championships medal.

But Wang Beixing doesn't yet feel the pressure to claim an Olympic jewel. For now she is content with being a 20-year-old, socializing with her Canadian friends, watching television and adding to her English vocabulary.

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