A Chinese speed skater utilized a ‘genius’ tactic that led her to win gold at the Youth Olympics earlier this year.
Yang Jingru participated in the Youth Winter Olympic Games women’s 1,500 meter short-track speed-skating final, which took place at the Gangwon, South Korea Games in March.
Footage of the 18-year-old’s race strategy has gone viral online, with many praising Jingru as ‘incredible’.
The women’s 1,500 meter short-track speed-skating event involves racers completing around 13 laps.
Typically, skaters start the race relatively conservatively, maintaining a pack formation to avoid early burnout and save energy for a final sprint to the finish line.
However, Jingru had a different plan, and as one Twitter user noted, “Her strategy is worth watching in detail.”
Instead of adopting the ‘slow and steady’ approach, the young skater opted for a much more ‘bold strategy’.
As soon as the race started, Jingru surged to the front, quickly overtaking her competitors and taking the lead, even lapping them.
Rather than matching her speed, the other skaters continued at their steady pace. When Jingru caught up to them again, she slowed down and rejoined the group, matching their pace.
By the final lap, it seemed that the group had forgotten that Jingru had lapped them earlier. Even though she appeared to be at the back of the pack, she was actually a lap ahead and thus poised to win.
And indeed she did win, securing a gold medal for her impressive strategy and receiving widespread admiration on social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgl1GITk0Js
One YouTube user remarked, “Even the commentator and the cameraman forgot she is one lap ahead of the others.”
“This is a perfectly executed strategy. Usually the early laps of a race like this are slow to conserve energy, but making the other skaters forget they are a lap down is the perfect mind game,” another praised.
A third added, “The smartest move I’ve seen in track. How did they not figure out her plan.”
And a fourth commented, “This is the greatest sporting masterpiece in history. I don’t watch these ice sports but gotta respect the ingenuity behind this.”
The Olympics’ official YouTube channel even described Jingru’s strategy as ‘unconventional’ but resulting in a ‘thrilling’ race to watch.
Jingru told CGTN after the race that it was certainly ‘a daring move’ and one she had never ‘attempted before’.
However, she concluded, “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… 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.”