Topics: Olympics, South Korea
A Chinese speed skater is responsible for pulling off arguably the most audacious strategy in Olympics history – and it needs to be seen to be believed.
Earlier this year, Yang Jingru took part in the women’s 1,500 meter short-track speed-skating final at the much-anticipated Youth Winter Olympic Games in Gangwon Province, South Korea.
The 18-year-old was one of the favourites to clinch China's first gold medal of the tournament as she lined up alongside Nonomi Inoue and Li Jinzi, who was heavily involved in the tactic.
So, what happened? To start, a switched-on Jingru eased off her speed from the get-go, positioning herself at the back as her fellow competitors entered the first bend.
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But as you can see from the footage below, she soon turned on the afterburners, leaving her rivals behind. "She's off!" said the commentator. "This is really interesting and it's bold. It's brave. Nobody saw it coming!"
Rather than quickening their pace to match, the other skaters maintained their pack formation and when Jingru caught up with them again, she slowed down and re-joined the group, matching their pace again.
Nobody kept up with the Chinese skater, instead following the race's expected rhythm.
And over the remaining 10 laps, Jingru maintained her position at the back in quiet fashion, closely shadowing her teammate Li Jinzi.
Fast forward to the final lap and it appears the group had completely forgotten that Jingru lapped them in the opening round.
In fact, after Yang bided her time at the rear, she picked up a historic victory with a time of 2 minutes and 33.148 seconds.
Speaking after the race, she said: "It was a daring move, one I had never attempted before. But it was my own strategy, a secret weapon nobody saw coming. It left everyone bewildered and unsure of how to respond. And it worked like a charm."
She added: "I achieved what I had set out to do. My goal was to claim the gold medal, and I'm pleased that I was able to turn that vision into a reality."
Li Jinzi, who would later win the 1,000 meter short-track speed-skating final, would secure a silver medal for China.
