by sportswriters Hu Jiali and Wang Haoming
HARBIN, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Soft snow fell gently over Harbin the evening of February 6, blanketing the city in white. However, inside the ice hockey stadium for the Asian Winter Games, the atmosphere was anything but cold.
The women's Group B match between Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan kept fans on the edge of their seats. Just five minutes into the match, Chinese Taipei made its mark as 18-year-old Wu Ji-Cih scored the opening goal, celebrating with her teammates in a triumphant display.
Scoring against Asia's top team, Wu is quickly making a name for herself. With two goals at the Games so far, the college freshman leads her team in scoring.
"I'm just happy I could work with my teammates to score a goal," Wu said modestly after the match, her helmet removed to reveal damp, sweat-soaked hair.
Unlike most of her teammates who live and train in Taipei, Wu hails from Tainan. Every Friday night, she boards a high-speed train alone to travel north for practice, returning the next day.
"I have to stay focused in class because I don't have the energy to study after practice," she admitted. "When I get home, I just sleep. A lot."
Despite her dedication, Wu is limited to just 75 minutes of on-ice training per week due to the lack of facilities. "Taipei has only one ice rink up to competition standards, which is shared among ice hockey, speed skating, and figure skating programs," she explained.
More remarkably, Wu only stepped onto the ice two years ago. A former roller skater, she was discovered by the Chinese Taipei U18 women's ice hockey coach. Transitioning from roller skates to ice blades was a challenging journey.
"I just kept falling," she recalled. "At first, I was afraid to brake, and making sharp turns was difficult. But my teammates encouraged me, helping me improve gradually."
With barely a hundred on-ice training sessions under her belt, Wu is already emerging as a rising star. "It's all thanks to my teammates," she added with a shy smile.
Wu has visited mainland China numerous times for roller skating exchanges and competitions, particularly in Guangzhou. Looking ahead, she hopes to move to the mainland after graduation to teach either roller skating or ice hockey.
"Why?" she laughed. "Because the food is amazing." ■
