Feature: Chinese curling rookies start high in Beijing

BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ranking ninth after finishing their last round-robin session for mixed doubles curling at Beijing 2022, Fan Suyuan, popular for her warm smile, couldn't hold back her tears in the mixed zone, while her teammate Ling Zhi put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I didn't expect the result. Maybe it's just because I was too eager to have a great shot and ignored the importance of route," said the 25-year-old after China lost 8-6 to the Czech Republic on Monday.

Fan blamed herself for too many misses that left the team no chance for entering the semifinals, while Ling soon took the responsibility and said, "We are one on the sheet, and her misses are also mine."

Teaming up for no more than three months, Fan/Ling stood on the Olympic court for the first time without any experience of international competition due to the COVID-19.

They opened their journey in the National Aquatics Center, now known as the Ice Cube, with successive wins over Switzerland and Australia, giving audiences a big surprise.

Although they lost the next seven matches in a row, the pair kept the pace with their world-level opponents. The Chinese duo narrowly lost to world champion Britain 6-5 and defending champion Canada 8-6, and the 9-6 loss to world runner-up and 2018 PyeongChang bronze medalist Norway was the one with the biggest margin during the run.

The lack of experience might be one of the reason they lost the chance to advance, but it's also a good start for the promising pair, who showed the world their talents and consistency.

After the opening win over the Swiss duo of Martin Rios and Jenny Perret, Fan/Ling sat on the courtside floor rather than leaving the venue, taking out a notebook to write something down.

"We were writing down our observance about the sheet in order to be better prepared for later games," Ling explained.

While media was able to catch his efforts occasionally, Ling's mother knows all the stories behind.

"You can't imagine how hardworking the boy is. Each time I saw him out of breath after sweeping the ice, I even couldn't finish watching the game," said the tearful mother. "He is too tired, and I just want him to take a rest at home for a while."

According to official shot success percentage reports, as an Olympic rookie, Ling's success rate was 78 percent, ranking sixth in ten male athletes, while Fan's success rate was 67.3 percent, ending up ninth among ten female curlers.

"Ling is a great sweeper and an all-around curler. He did a splendid job in draws and take-outs," Fan spoke highly of Ling. "He is the one to decide the tactics."

In turn, Ling also considers Fan as a good teammate. "Fan is outgoing, and her orders are clear enough. We know what we are going to do on the ice, and that is our similarity," said the 27-year-old.

After beating them in the Ice Cube, their opponent, Kristen Skaslien of Norway praised, "they're a good team. They played very well."

The nice performance of the duo made them popular online, but Ling seemed to have no idea about it. "I didn't notice it, but I believe it was all because Chinese people are more and more interested in curling," Ling said. "We are expecting to see more people play the sport."

Though the young pair had to end their Olympics journey with some disappointment, they bowed to audiences as they did previously in the first two victories.

"The experience will encourage us to train harder in the following days, and I'm full of expectation for the next Olympics," said Ling with confidence.