Wu Dajing wins China's 1st gold, leads team to silver at Pyeongchang

Wu Dajing has finally done it for China - the short track speed skater won China's first gold medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in the men's 500-meter.

Wu broke the world record twice as he became the first Chinese athlete to enjoy the top honor in men's short track.

China's Wu Dajing celebrates winning gold and a new world record in the men's 500m short track speed skating A final event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung on February 22, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

Wu Dajing hit top form and was invincible throughout the night. He stormed into the 500-meter semifinals with a new world record, only to beat it again on his way to winning the gold medal.

Wu said he felt the pressure during the competition but he was eager to win.

"I was under a bit of pressure, because I wanted to make breakthroughs in my strongest discipline. I won the silver medal in Sochi, so I wanted to do better than that, and I wanted to get good results for the Chinese delegation. I was very excited after the final. I only realized I was a champion at the finish line, and it wasn't a dream that the gold medal was mine," said Wu. 

China's Wu Dajing celebrates gold at the finish line in the men's 500m short track speed skating A final event during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung on February 22, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

After his individual glory, Wu led his teammates Han Tianyu, Xu Hongzhi and Chen Dequan to a silver medal in the men's 5000-meter relay.

Han Tianyu said they were inspired by Wu's triumph.

"My teammates and I worked very hard during the relay, we did quite well and won a precious silver medal. Before that we all had a lot of expectations for Wu in the 500 meter, because we knew how good he was. We were encouraging each other in the morning, and telling Wu not to think too much. In the end he did do it very well," said Han. 

Coach Li Yan said after a string of penalties and disqualifications which they did not always think were fair, determination carried them through until they were rewarded.

"China's short track speed skating team was under an immense amount of pressure at this Winter Olympic Games. As you all know, it has not been easy. Thank you for your support. Although we have turned off our social networks, we still saw some reports from Chinese media. I think this is good because it sends a positive message and now there are more people caring about the sport. It has not been easy for all of us. We finally got our long-awaited gold medal on the last day of short track competition," said Li. 

China has capped off its Olympic journey in short track speed skating with one gold medal and two silver medals.