Success comes from team work, says China's first World Cup medal-winning bobsledder Ying

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Ying Qing, the first Chinese bobsledder to step on the World Cup podium, believed that the team efforts were behind the history-making success.

Ying took the bronze medal in the women's monobob at the IBSF World Cup in Sigulda, Latvia, on February 18th, with a time of one minute and 47.10 seconds.

"I was very excited after the race, every time before I missed the medal, but this time I finally broke through," Ying told Xinhua.

Ying is in her ninth season as a bobsled pilot. Previously, she was a hurdler until Beijing and Zhangjiakou won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, at which point Ying transferred to bobsleigh.

"I enjoy exciting events, so I just wanted to give it a try," said Ying. "But at first, I always made mistakes and was under a lot of pressure, then I gave myself [positive] hints that I believe I can do it."

Ying proved to have made the right choice as she showed talent on the bobsleigh tracks and has made significant progress. She finished ninth at the 2022 Winter Olympics and ranked sixth and fourth apiece at two World Cups before stepping onto the podium in February.

The 26-year-old Shanghai girl gave credit for her achievements to the team. "In front of the TV, you only see me racing alone, but we are a team."

"We had coaches, mechanics, doctors and logisticians," she added.

Despite the success, Ying stated that she wants to "guard against arrogance and keep working hard" in regard to her future ambitions.

"After one tournament, I'll let it go and prepare for a new start," Ying said. "I will embrace the summer fitness training and prepare well for the competition in the winter."